November 2017

Reflection for Remembrance Day

As we remember and honour

All the many men and women

Who lost their lives in wars,

Their possessions, their loved ones,

Father, we ask that today

You help all the children

Who live in countries where

There is fighting and fear.

Bless them, protect them,

And give them strength.

Let them know, Lord Jesus,

That there is peace and comfort

In knowing You.

This month… Administrators’ Message p. 2Chaplain’s Corner p. 2Praying the Rosary p. 3Provincial Achievement Test Results p. 4Choir Singing at Oil Kings Game p. 5First Term Report Cards p. 5Booking a Parent/Teacher Conference p. 6Extracurricular Activities p. 7Community Nutrition p. 9Scholastic Book Fair p. 10Student Safety p. 10School Council News p. 11District On Line Financial Survey p. 11St. Charles Church Info. p. 12Catholic Education Sunday p. 13 Superintendent’s Message p. 14 Listen and Daily Attentiveness To the Word of God (Part 1) p. 16 Religious Education p. 17November Calendar p. 18

Administrators’ Message The month of November begins with All Saints’ Day (November 1st), followed by All Souls Day (November 2nd) and then Remembrance Day (November 11th). All three of these days remind us that the month of November is marked by a spirit of solemn remembrance of those who have passed on from this earthly life. On Remembrance Day, please take the time to honor the 1 500 000 men and women who have served in the Canadian armed forces, including the more than 100 000 who have died in the line of duty. They all made great sacrifices to ensure that we continue to enjoy our rights and freedoms.

Catholic Education Sunday is November 5th! Parishes throughout the city will be recognizing Catholic Education at various masses held during this weekend. These masses are an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon the gift of Catholic education. Our faith is strengthened when we come together to participate in the sacraments. It is important to our children’s faith formation to establish close working relationships between home, parish and school. We thank all parents for nurturing the Catholic faith in your homes as it is crucial in forming a strong base for your child’s spiritual development.

The first school term will soon be coming to a close and report cards (for students in Grades 1-6) will be posted on Friday, November 24th. Teachers have been carefully assessing their students in order to provide parents with a detailed picture of each child’s progress. When you review your child’s report card, please take time to read through the entire report card. The key learner outcomes and teacher comments are very important in understanding your child’s progress this term. Our staff looks forward to celebrating your child’s accomplishments and addressing any questions at our Parent/Teacher/Students Conferences on Thursday, November 30th from 1:40 – 4:30 p.m. and then again from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Chaplain’s Corner

Seminarian We are so pleased to welcome Seminarian Kevin Ponte to St. Lucy School. Mr. Ponte will be at the school every Thursday morning working with our students. So far, he has been visiting classes and getting to know our staff and students by answering questions, reading scripture and sharing information about his faith journey. Mr. Ponte brings with him a passion for music, history and of course, his faith. Welcome Mr. Ponte!

Remembrance Day Our School Remembrance Day Service will take place on Thursday, November 9 at 10:45 am. We would like to extend an invitaiton to all parents to join us during this special time of prayer and reflection as we remember the sacrifices of those who have fought for the rights and freedoms we enjoy in our beautiful country.

Rosary Kit Our students are enjoying the Knights of Columbus Rosary Kit which is circulating throughout our classrooms. The students are learning how to pray the rosary and receiving a rosary of their own to keep. For more information about how to pray the rosary with your children please visit the following links: http://www.familyrosary.org/how-to-pray-the-rosary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnOAQp-ST6Q

Hot Chocolate Fundraiser St. Charles Parish has unveiled a new Family Tree fundraising initiative to assist the church in meeting the ongoing needs of the parish. St. Lucy School is interested in purchasing a dove for $600 which would be engraved with the name of the school as a way of supporting and giving back to the parish. In order to raise the funds, the 6B class will be organizing a hot chocolate fundraiser on Mondays and Wednesdays at lunch beginning on November 13. All students are encouraged to purchase a cup of hot chocolate for $1.00in support of this worthy cause.

Provincial Achievement Test Results for the 2016-2017 School Year

Results from the Provincial Achievement Tests written last year are now available. Teachers will be analyzing the results in detail and strategies for growth will be incorporated in our School Growth Plan.

English Language Arts Acceptable Standard Standard of

Excellence

*RegressionAnalysis

Test Expectations

St. Lucy School 89.5% 22.8% = Province 91.5% 20.9%

Mathematics Acceptable Standard Standard of Excellence

*RegressionAnalysis

Test Expectations

St. Lucy School 68.4% 8.8% = Province 76.2% 13.7%

Science Acceptable Standard Standard of Excellence

*RegressionAnalysis

Test Expectations

St. Lucy School 77.2% 12.3% - Province 86.0% 33.2%

Social Studies Acceptable Standard Standard of Excellence

*RegressionAnalysis

Test Expectations

St. Lucy School 80.7% 24.6% = Province 81.3% 25.1%

*Regression Analysis Test Expectations:- Statistically below expectations based on Canadian Cognitive Abilities Testing = Statistically within expectations based on Canadian Cognitive Abilities Testing + Statistically above expectations based on Canadian Cognitive Abilities Testing

ST. LUCY SCHOOL CHOIR TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM AT OIL KINGS GAME – NOVEMBER 25th

The St. Lucy Music Program is pleased to announce that we have been selected to perform the national anthem at an upcoming Oil Kings game, on Saturday November 25, 2017. The students and Ms. Delday are excited for the opportunity to demonstrate their talents in front of a large audience and they are all honoured to be among the few people who get to stand on the ice at Rogers Place to do so. Students who regularly participate in the extracurricular school choir will be provided a ticket to the game (at a reduced cost thanks to School Council) and will be allowed to stay and watch the game when they are done with their on ice performance. Additional tickets for family and spectators can be bought through the school at the cost of $20.00 per ticket. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to refurbish school instruments which are currently in need of repair.

Staff will accompany all choir members from the school to Rogers Place on a bus before the game (5:30pm departure), will remain with students throughout the game and will accompany students on their ride back to St. Lucy School after the game for parent pick up (approximately 10:00pm depending on the end of the game).

This event is a great opportunity for the choir and its members to apply their talents and share their gifts with a broad audience. It is also an evening activity which strengthens the St. Lucy community as we support each other, socialize and engage in a positive performance environment.

Ms. Delday sincerely thanks you for your continued support of the St. Lucy Music Program.

FIRST TERM REPORT CARDS AND CONFERENCES

Report cards will be posted online on Friday, November 24th. These report cards will

give you information regarding your child’s learning. Please discuss the report card and

Plan of Action with your child.

Parents new to the school will be receiving their Parent Access Login and information shortly. If you have not received your code to access the report card online by Friday, November 24th, please let your child’s teacher know. If you are unable to print or access the report card online, please let the office know and we will print a copy of

your child’s report card for you.

PARENT REPORT CARD ACCESS

Login to PowerSchool (www.powerschool.ecsd.net) with your Parent Access ID and Password

Under the NAVIGATION MENU on the left hand side of the screen will be REPORT CARD. Double

Click to access your child's report card.

For the First Reporting Period, we will have Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences for all students.

Thursday, November 30th 1:30 – 4:30 and 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

St. Lucy Catholic School staff members very much value the positive working relationship we have with our parent community. We strongly encourage parents who have concerns about their child’s learning, be it academic, social, or emotional, to contact the teacher immediately. Please do not wait until December 1st to advise the teacher of your concerns.

Parents of students on an Individual Program Plan (IPP) or Personal Learning Plan (PLP) will receive a phone call from the homeroom teacher to come in and sign the IPP or PLP prior to the Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences on December 1st.

HOW DO I BOOK A PARENT/TEACHER/STUDENT CONFERENCE?

We are pleased to be using the Internet to schedule Parent-Teacher Interviews.

The process for booking interviews is broken into the following steps:

Step 1 – Pre-Register at https://stlucy-edm.schoolsoft.com/login (DO NOT

include “www” in the url).

You can set up a Parent Account by following the link above. Click the REGISTER NOW button and complete the registration form. Your login credentials (email and password) will remain in the system to make it easy to access the Conference Manager in the future.

Please note that in order to enhance functionality and security, the Conference Manager requires you to use Internet Explorer 7 (or above), Firefox 3 (or above) or Safari 4 (or above). If you are using an older browser, the Conference Manager will automatically prompt you to update your browser and provide you with a link. This is a one-time process and only takes a couple of minutes.

In order to ensure that your email program does not block emails sent from the Conference Manager, we suggest adding appointments@schoolsoft.com to your address book.

Step 2 – Conference Manager Opens to Parents – November 15, 2017 You can access the Parent Login Page using the link in the Confirmation Email. If you do not receive a Confirmation Email, you can login by going directly to https://stlucy-edm.schoolsoft.com/login.

If you do not have Internet access, you are welcome to contact the office and we will schedule your conferences on your behalf.

Step 3 – Book your Parent-Teacher interviews Select the teachers with whom you want to book interviews. You will see each teacher’s schedule. After booking your appointments you can print off your schedule. You will also receive an email containing the teacher name, time and location of the conference. You can log into the system at any time to view your bookings, print, cancel or re-schedule appointments. You have the option of submitting comments or questions to the teacher as part of the booking process.

Important Dates: November 1 – Pre-Registration begins November 15 – Start scheduling your interviews at 8:00 AM November 29 – Conference Manager closes at 4:00 PM November 30 – Parent Teacher Interviews If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact the school.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

We are very excited to offer a variety of extracurricular activities this year! Encourage your child to

become involved…

Volleyball The grade five and six students who have taken an interest in joining the St. Lucy Volleyball Team will be attending practice Mondays and Wednesdays after school over the next seven weeks. In a fun and inclusive environment the boys and girls will be practicing volleyball skills such as setting, bumping and serving. Sir John Thompson Junior High School will be hosting a feeder school tournament which we will be attending on Thursday, December 7th.

Players

Girls: Sara, Eleasha, Ashanti, Isabel, Julianna, Shealynn, Montserrat, Merissa, Jasmine, Maribelle, Jael, Katherine

Boys: David, Nickolas, Gavin, Tristan, Adam, Diego, Francesco, Saliba, Jacob, Kalab, Byron

Special thanks to our Wonderful Coaches: Ms. Paniccia, Mrs. Pilon, Mr. Salvador and Mr. Tejada (our

expert and generous parent volunteer coach)

Grades 1-3 Intramurals will take place Mondays and Wednesdays during the first recess for the months of November, January, February and March. Students that are interested in participating have already signed up, and various team building games will be played. The teams will be grade specific.

Grades 4-6 Intramurals will be running at first recess on Tuesdays and Fridays in the gym. During the months of November and December the students will play volleyball and dodgeball. In January and February, they will play floor hockey on mixed teams and in March…it’s Mission Impossible! This is a wonderful way for our students to stay active during those cold winter months!

Environment Club is open to grade four students and runs on Tuesday at lunch recess to do the juice box recycling for the school. The club will also focus on environmental stewardship y updating signage on the recycle bins and giving classes presentations on how and what to recycle in our school.

Knights of Columbus Basketball Free Throw is for students aged 9-12. Students will have the opportunity to practice free throw shots at morning recess during January and February to prepare for the competition. Students who qualify will move on. The competitions provide a very healthy, supportive environment and are a lot of fun for everyone!

Running Club - is open to all students in Grades 1 to 6 who would like to train to walk and/or run 5 KM. Students will work their way up to be able to run 5 KM beginning in May and ending in June with an optional Fun Run.

Photo Club will run from November to May this year. Grade 6 students are welcome to join and take part in learning photography techniques, taking pictures of school activities, and creating presentations of their photos for the school to enjoy on our Friday Broadcast.

Student Broadcast Team is for students in grade 6 who enjoy public speaking! Students are involved in writing the school announcements and sharing them over the PA system twice a week and through our St. Lucy TV Broadcast via Skype every Friday. Spirit Club will run the first Friday of every month from November to May. This club is for grade 3 students interested in promoting a positive school spirit through various theme days each month. Rosary Club is a time for students in grades 2-6 to gather and spend time in prayer and devotion to Mary. It is held on Wednesdays during the lunch recess from January to March. St. Lucy’s Heroes - this year, grade 5 and grade 6 students will serve as social justice leaders in the school. They will gather, discuss and create an action plan for how they can make a positive difference in our community. The grade 6 students will be starting canteen sales for the month of November with proceeds going towards helping to subsidize the cost of camp at the end of the year. St. Lucy's Heroes will lead the St. Lucy School community in aiding local charities and organizations. They will serve to involve the entire school through various initiatives and activities throughout the year. Card Making Club - will be offered to Grade 5 & 6 students. Starting in January, this club will take place during first recess, in Mrs. Gale's room, before special holidays. The students will have the opportunity to make a seasonal card (e.g. Birthday, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day etc.). The children in this club will be able to take the cards home that they have created and give them to their loved ones. Elementary Cross-Country Run is open to all students in grade 4-6 who would like to participate in this 1 or 2 km race. This is a one-day event in September and the students train for a few weeks prior to the run. Running Room Games Students from grades 4-6 are welcome to tryout in the yearly relay race event which are held in the Butterdome at the University of Alberta. At this event, students will be competing in an 8-person X200m relay race against other schools in Edmonton and the surrounding area. The initial qualifying competition takes place in February with the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals taking place one day in March. Badminton is designed for grade five and six students who are interested in working on their badminton skills in a fun and inclusive environment. Badminton will run in March and April during morning recess on Tuesdays and Fridays. Choir- Our school choir began practicing in October, and will continue until mid-June. This year the Choir includes students in grades 4-6 and meets in the music room every Monday and Wednesday during lunch. The students will be exploring traditional and modern repertoire and will be preparing for extracurricular performances. Guitar – This club is for any student in grades 5 and 6 who wishes to gain or improve guitar skills and play in an ensemble setting. Startup date for guitar club is TBA.

COMMUNITY NUTRITION UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA STUDENTS

Melissa Marchesi and Geot Ng, two Community Nutrition students from the University of Alberta, would like to thank St Lucy Elementary for the opportunity to work with the students and staff of St. Lucy Elementary School, facilitating the promotion of a healthy eating environment. We have been working with Grade 2 and Grade 5 classes. Second-grade students have been reviewing Canada’s Food Guide and learning about healthy snacks, and foods that we should be choosing more often. Grade 5 students will be learning about cultural food patterns, including ethnic alternatives to the Canada Food Guide and individual lifestyle choices such as vegetarianism. The contents of the sessions will also be available on the bulletin board beside the front office (across from the school daycare). We hope that together we ca create a sustainable, healthy environment for our kids to grow and thrive.

A very special thank you to Weylin Willis - the manager of Sobeys at Newcastle West for his generosity in sponsoring our Healthy Eating program supplies. Please say a warm thank you to Weylin if you see him while you shop at Sobey Newcastle West.

What do I Send to School for Lunch? How do I make healthy choices for my kids? What if my kids will only eat certain foods? How do I choose healthy options while accommodating my child’s specific tastes? While shopping in the supermarket each week, what should I be looking for on food packaging labels? What do you, as a parent, look for in a food packaging label? Sodium? Sugar? Ingredients? Micronutrients? Calories? Understanding food labels can help you to make better lunch and snack choices for your kids. The added sugar and sodium found in processed foods is one of the highest contributors to obesity and long-term disease in Canada. Children whose diets include excess sugar and sodium are more prone to chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, arteriosclerosis) later in life.

Most foods, with the exception of whole foods, must include a Nutrition Facts table and an ingredients list. The Nutrition Facts table gives you information about calories, sugar and salt content, and important micronutrients found in the food. The Nutrition Facts table is based on a 2000-calorie diet, meaning that numbers are calculated based on an intake of 2000 calories per day (which differs based on age, gender and levels of activity, among other factors). If the table states that the product contains 20% sodium, that means that the product includes 20% of your recommended daily sodium intake, and if you consume less than 2000 calories per day, that number becomes more significant. Added sugars are even more tricky, because there are dozens of names for ‘sugar’ that can be used by a packaging label, including dextrose, fructose, isomaltulose, agave, barley malt, and high-fructose corn syrup. Health Canada will soon be introducing legislation that regulates the information found on packaging labels and consolidates added sugars, to make them easy to read and find. There is currently no recommended daily intake for sugar, but Health Canada advises that added sugars should be no more than 15% of your daily calorie intake. The World Health Organization’s number is even lower, as low as 10 to 5%. Another way to evaluate healthy food choices is to check the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed by weight, so take note of which ingredients come first; if sugar, salt, oil, or fat are

among the first items on the list, the product is probably not very nutritious. Look for products that include primarily whole foods in the ingredients list and avoid products with a lot of complex-sounding additives. You may also choose to avoid processed foods, and instead, buy whole, raw ingredients and prepare foods at home. While it is unrealistic to assume this is always possible, preparing foods at home gives you more control over the amounts of sugar and salt added. Preparing meals at home just a few days a week can go a long way towards reducing the loads of sugar and salt found in processed foods.

Pay attention to other health or nutrition claims made by food packaging labels. By law in Canada, a food label cannot claim that a product “prevents cancer” unless there is scientific evidence to back that claim. You must also consider that nutrients work together in a number of different ways, so you should be wary of ‘superfoods’ or very specific claims about ‘magic’ nutrients that act as cures for all.

The holiday season is approaching, and with very simple fact-checking you can create wholesome meals with nutritious ingredients for your entire family. For more information, visit Alberta Health Services at healthyeatingstartshere.ca, or Health Canada’s website at https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition.html.

SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR

Our first Scholastic Book Fair of the school year will run Tuesday, November 28th to Thursday, December 1st between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It will also be open to parents and guardians on Thursday during the Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences. The hours will be 1:30 – 4 p.m. and 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. We will accept cheques payable to St. Lucy School and/or Debit, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Parent volunteers are very important for the success of this event. All volunteers working 3 hours or more will be given a credit towards purchasing items from the book fair. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Ms. Huber at 780 456 0053 or email pamela.huber@ecsd.net Looking forward to hearing from you!

STUDENT SAFETY

The Edmonton Police Department, St. Lucy Staff, and the Dunluce Community Hall President are all VERY concerned about how parents are driving and parking

around St. Lucy School. We would ask, for the safety of your child and other children, that you adhere to the following parking and traffic guidelines:

1. Do not park your car on or near a crosswalk. Children cannot see around a parked car. Drivers cannot see a child hidden behind a parked car. School patrols cannot do their job of helping children cross safely if they are blocked by your car.

2. Do not make U turns on the street in front of our school. 3. Do not park on the wrong side of the street. 4. Do not drive through or turn around in the school parking lot. 5. Do not park in or block school bus loading zones. Blocking the bus loading zone with your car

makes loading the school bus awkward and dangerous for children using the bus. It also causes traffic jams, which add to the danger for children using the crosswalks.

Parents, please set a good example. Your children are the most valuable resource we have. Please take extra care when driving around the school zones.

SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS Cookie Dough Fundraiser - Thank You A huge thank you goes out to all the families who supported the School Council Fundraiser. The cookie dough orders will be available for pick up on Friday, November 24th (2:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the school gym).

NEXT SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETING Wednesday, November 15, 2017 @ 6:30 p.m.

All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

We have a great opportunity to enjoy a fantastic family night at an Edmonton Oil Kings Game. The game is on Thursday November 10th, when the Oil Kings take on the Saskatoon Blades at 7pm. Tickets for this night are available through the school for only $20. A benefit to buying an Oil Kings ticket for the November 25th game is that the St. Lucy School Choir will be performing the National Anthem. Money raised through ticket sales will be used towards repairing and replacing musical instruments. To order tickets, just fill out the order form that will be sent home and return it with your payment. Please contact the school office if you are in need of more order forms. The deadline for all ticket orders will be November 10th. We are hoping for a great turnout to make this a very exciting event for the kids. So get your family and friends together, and enjoy an evening of great hockey! Let’s Go Oil Kings!!

Edmonton Catholic Schools

Online Financial Budget Survey

YOUR CHILD! YOUR VOICE!

Edmonton Catholic Schools believes it is essential to involve parents

in providing input into the budget process. In preparation for the

upcoming 2018-2019 budget it is important that the district gather

as much information as possible. Therefore, as a parent of

Edmonton Catholic Schools, your feedback will provide a valuable

contribution in the decision-making process.

We would like to gather your input through an online survey. The survey can be accessed

through the District Website, School Website, Powerschool or by using the URL address

provided.

URL Address: Click on the following link or enter the address in the web browser http://financialservicessurvey.ecsd.net/

District Website: Go to http://ecsd.net then go to the slider indicating the

Online Financial Budget Survey and follow the directions.

Powerschool: Parents log on to Powerschool as you normally would to check

your child's progress. Once in Powerschool, click on the tab "Financial Budget

Survey". This tab will take you directly to the online survey.

The survey is open from November 14th to November 28th, 2017. We encourage all families

to fill out the survey. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete.

Survey results will be shared with the Edmonton Catholic School District Budget

Committee in January for consideration during the 2018-2019 budget process.

ST. CHARLES CATHOLIC CHURCH INFORMATION -Mass of Remembrance Friday November 4th at 7PM -First Reconciliation Celebration: Wednesday November 22nd at 630PM

St. Charles Parish IGNITE Youth Group Grades 5-8 2nd and 4th Monday of the month (7PM to 830 PM) Drop ins welcome!

CATHOLIC EDUCATION SUNDAY – NOVEMBER 5TH

Recently, the Catholic Bishops of Alberta and Northwest Territories issued their annual Catholic Education

Sunday letter. In their message, the Bishops urged those involved in the ministry of Catholic education to

ponder, in light of our Catholic faith, the true, the good, and the beautiful.

Every day in our Catholic schools, students are challenged to recognize the inherent beauty and worth of

every person, and to serve others, especially the poor, with compassion and justice.

In Catholic education we feed the minds of students with truth by facilitating their encounter with the

Truth, who is Jesus. At the same time, Catholic education seeks to help students be aware of their own

inherent goodness as children made in the image and likeness of God, while also offering them the

opportunity to be silent and to hear the voice of God summoning them to holiness.

Sunday, November 5th, on Catholic Education Sunday, we give thanks to God for this beautiful ministry

of the Church. By the help of His grace, we pray that our students may also come to ponder the true, the

good and the beautiful, as well as to realize how God is present and at work in the world and in every

moment of their lives, leading them to salvation.

November 2017

“My soul shall glory in the Lord, for He has been so good to me.” (Taste and See, James Moore JR.)

The hymns which we sing in our liturgies and in the Mass are often rooted in scripture. The verse shared above comes from one

of our most beautiful Eucharistic songs, and is based on Psalm 34. This psalm is one of thanksgiving in which the psalmist is

praising God for deliverance from troubles. When you are struck by the beauty of the message in songs at church, consider

looking at the reference at the end of the song in the hymnal and reading the corresponding scripture passage!

Archbishop Smith has released a pastoral letter to the Archdiocese that will provide special focus for our faith community over

the next 5 years. It is deeply grounded in the words of Pope Francis, “These are the two conditions in order to follow Jesus: to

listen to the word of God, and to put it into practice. This is the Christian life – nothing more. Simple, simple.” (Homily at Daily

Mass, September 23, 2014)

You can read the pastoral letter, watch a video titled Archbishop Smith’s Pastoral letter in 60 Seconds, and find other resources

at http://caedm.ca/Letter. Beginning with this month’s newsletter, we will also be including highlights of sections of the

pastoral letter for your information and consideration.

We are very pleased to welcome our newly elected Board of Trustees: Ward 71-Terry Harris, Ward 72-Sandra Palazzo, Ward 73-

Carla Smiley, Ward 74-Debbie Engel, Ward 75-Alene Mutala, Ward 76-Lisa Turchansky, and Ward 77-Laura Thibert. Their very

first Public Meeting was held on October 30. The Trustees were sworn in and held their Organizational Meeting. Trustee Harris

was elected as Chairperson for the upcoming year, and Trustee Palazzo was elected as Vice-Chairperson for the same period.

Our Alberta Education Accountability Pillar Results Report, which is our report card from the province, was released a few weeks

ago. Our results, which are outstanding, reflect our commitment to continuous growth! Visit our website to view the overall

summary. https://www.ecsd.net/AboutUs/annual_reports/Documents/sbfile/171017/ECSD%20Acc.%20Pillar%20Summary%20October%202017.pdf

Catholic Education Sunday is being celebrated across Alberta on November 5th this year. We celebrate Catholic education for

the advantage, richness, and success that Catholic education brings to our students and families. Please check our website and

our social media each day during the week of October 30 – November 3 as we highlight different aspects of what makes

Edmonton Catholic Schools so great for our children and families. You can also join us on Catholic Education Sunday

(November 5) at St. Joseph Basilica for the Commissioning Mass for our new Edmonton Catholic Schools Board of Trustees at

12:15 pm. Bishop Bittman will be presiding.

. . . 2

One of the significant characteristics of Catholic education is that, in addition to having our faith permeated in all aspects of the

school day, all students also have courses in Religious Education. In Elementary and Junior High, all students have Religion

classes within their schedules. At the High School level, students are expected to complete 9 credits in Religious Education

within their program, and which contribute to Alberta Education's criteria of 100 earned credits required as the minimum for

graduation.

We are pleased to begin sharing a new video series for students and parents on Staying Safe in a Digital World. Our first video is

titled Privacy. The series features our STAY (School Team Advisor for Youth) Officer, Rick Cole, who will offer simple tips on how

to be sure that we remain safe in the online world. You can access this video by visiting www.ecsd.net and clicking on the video

title on our banner. We will use social media to share the release of future episodes.

In this month which is dedicated to remembrance and peace, I will leave you with a tweet from Pope Francis: “Let us bring the

flame of Christ’s love to humanity which needs true happiness and peace so much.” (October 20/17)

Sincerely, Joan Carr Superintendent

LISTENING AND DAILY ATTENTIVENESS TO THE WORD OF GOD

On September 14, 2017, Archbishop Richard Smith issued his Pastoral Letter - Living in the Word of God

to the clergy and the lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Edmonton. In his message, the Archbishop recalled

his baptism:

“On May 10th, 1959, at just two weeks of age, I was taken by my parents to our parish church to be baptized. It is

without question the best and most important action my mother and father ever undertook on my behalf. By the

sacrament of Baptism, I was washed with the mercy of God the Father and given the gift of new life through a

communion of love and friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it brought me into the community of people

who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and united me to them by the bestowal of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within all the

baptized. With the passage of time my gratitude for being a member of the Church has steadily deepened. It is truly

beautiful to be a Catholic. What begins at Baptism is a way of life that is shaped by sacred teachings, strengthened by

sacramental celebration, and marked by loving service of neighbor” (Archbishop Richard Smith).

It is true that at Baptism, our life in Christ begins. Baptism makes us disciples; to respond to his call to

follow him. Yet what does it mean to follow Jesus? Simply, it is a matter of listening and doing. An

authentic disciple of Jesus Christ is one who first listens to his Word and then puts it into practice. In the

Archbishop’s Pastoral Letter, we are offered insight as to how we can listen carefully to the Word of God

and, in a shared commitment, put it into practice.

Saint Paul teaches that faith comes from what is heard, meaning that the first act of the disciple is to listen

carefully to what God is saying in the words of Jesus. The hearing of Christ's Word demands a silent and

attentive listening. Yet, we live in a world surrounded by noise and confusion, thus we must work

particularly hard to cultivate that inner stillness to hear and to be transformed by the Word of God. On

the Archbishop’s part, he suggests that we take as little as ten minutes each day to read a few lines of the

Bible; to pray together at mealtime; and to create a prayer space in the home:

“I encourage families, too, to listen together to the Word of God. Through a careful listening to this Word, families

encounter the Lord in their very midst and hear within the depths of their hearts his assurance of love and call to holiness

and service. Here I suggest three simple ways by which our families can make the Word of God central to their daily

living and draw from it guidance and peace: Grace at mealtime, creation of a prayer space in the home, and family

discussion of the Sunday Homily” (Archbishop Richard Smith).

As families, it is especially important to gather and to reflect deeply upon the Word of God. In this way

we will not only support one another as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, but we will also encourage

one another to embrace the common mission that is ours in virtue of our Baptism into his Church.

Sandra Talarico

Religious Education Consultant

Spirits, Saints, and Souls. The early days of November within the Catholic Church mark the

month for which we commemorate the memory of all the faithfully departed. While All Hallow’s

Eve spurs the popular imagination with Spirits, this is really intended to prime the mind and

heart to focus on the Saints and Souls who have lived and passed. These Saints and Souls are the

faithfully departed - our brothers and sisters in Christ who have gone before us. Initially it may

be emotionally difficult to let go of them due to their physical absence; however, eventually we

come to realize their spiritual presence remains which both offers and reminds us of a different

form of human connection. This is why we need to remember them in prayer and also request

they pray for us too. Contrary to a popular misconception, we pray not to them, but rather for and

through them. Together we help comprise what is such a central element to our Christian Faith:

the Communion of Saints. In so doing, we understand how there is continuity between this world

and that of the next. This is a long standing tradition in the Church which shows how life in

Christ is indeed eternal and our relationship with Him extends into a community. Those who

have died in the peace of Christ are still alive in and with Him because of their Faith and ours

which continues. To help ensure this, it is the work of every member of the Church, which

includes all the baptized believers - both living and deceased - to help bring people into a

relationship with Christ and an intimacy with God. And so each time we celebrate Mass in

School or on Sundays, we remember that the entire mystical Body of Christ is present, together.

Effectively, because our departed have already arrived at the place to which we are also seeking

to be, they can therefore offer the inspiration, insight, and guidance we need, in response to the

prayers we make for ourselves and for them. Though death can be hard, it is a part of this life,

and which also leads to the next. And so November is a gift to recognize and remember those

good souls who have died & are yet still very much in spirit with us.

Most sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Dean Dowle

Su n day M on day Tu e s day We dn e s day Th u rs day Fr iday Satu r day

1 St. Lucy PAC Casino

Fundraiser (Grand Villa Casino)

2 St. Lucy PAC Casino

Fundraiser (Grand Villa Casino)

3

4

5 Catholic Education

Sunday

6 7

8

9 10:45 a.m.

Remembrance Day Service

10 Remembrance Day (in lieu—no school)

11 Remembrance Day

12 Deadline for

Ordering Hot Lunch Online

13 14

15

6:30 p.m. School

Council Meeting

16 17 SAC Hot Lunch (Dairy Queen)

Conference

Manager Open for Parents

18

19 20 Alberta Opera Performance

“Jack and the Bean-stalk” (1:30 p.m.)

21 Full Day

Kindergarten to Telus World of

Science

22

23

24

Report Cards Posted On Line

Cookie Dough Order Pick Up

(2:30—3:30 p.m.)

25

Oil Kings Game (Choir)

26

27

28 Scholastic Book Fair

Begins

29

30 Parent Teacher Con-

ferences/Demo. Of Learning

1:30—4:30, 5:30—8:00 p.m.

11750—162 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta

T5X 4L9 PHONE: 780 456 0053

FAX: 780 457 4361

EMAIL PRINCIPAL Silvia.Franzese@ecsd.net

www.stlucy.ecsd.net

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St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School

“Growing With God”

CALENDAR OF

EVENTS