St. Edmunds Newsletter – December 2021

Advent Blessings to your families!

“For unto us a child is born.” (Isaiah 9:6)

We welcome the season of Advent, the four weeks leading up to the celebration of Christmas. During this time, we are invited to prepare for the arrival of Christm as when Christians all over the world celebrate Jesus’ birth in a stable in Bethlehem more than 2 000 years ago.

As a community of faith, our school and parish will continue to offer opportunities to celebrate and reflect as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Jesus. Students and staff will be encouraged to participate in activities such as charitable acts, virtual reflections, and classroom prayers as they prepare their hearts for the birth of our Saviour.

We also invite our families to make this season one of peace and sharing, in our homes and in our community.

On behalf of the entire staff, we thank you for your cooperation and support this past year. We pray this Christmas brings your family love, peace and happiness as we celebrate the joy of our Saviour’s birth.

Christmas Festivities

Student Council Spirit of Giving & Dress Down Week:

Student Council is asking all classes to bring in $5 to help those in need in our local community. Please bring donations by December 10th to support our school’s charity initiative.

• No School Monday – Communicating Student Learning Interviews
• Tuesday, 7th – Teacher Tuesday – dress up as a Tbird staff member
• Wednesday, 8th – Formal Wednesday – “Dress Up” rather than “dress down”)
• Thursday, 9th – Theme Thursday – Class Choice tba
• Friday, 10th – Wacky Friday

We also hope that the children will continue to pray and offer intentions for those in our community who are experiencing challenges. Thank you for your continued support!

Confessions:

To prepare the children for Christmas, we will have Reconciliation services for Grades 3 to 7 on December 8th. When we receive the sacrament of Reconciliation, we show our desire to welcome the Lord with purified hearts. Please note that Parish Penitential Services will take place on Dec. 22nd at 7 pm in our Church.

School Concert:

Our annual Christmas concert is well underway and we are certain you will enjoy this year’s music video. As we are unable to hold an in-person concert for the entire community, a link will be shared so families can view the film from the comfort of your own homes. Stay tuned for further information that will be emailed home.

Recognition & Appreciation

Sincere thanks to all the families and friends who helped support our Growing Smiles and Purdy’s Chocolates Fundraisers.

• Please make arrangements to pick up your orders on Friday, December 10th between 2:30 and 4:00 from the foyer entrance of the gym on Mahon Avenue.
• If you are unable to pick up, please arrange for someone to pick up for you as we are unable to store your orders.

Celebrating our Learning and Outreach

Tbird Outreach Initiatives:

In keeping with our tradition of giving to those in need, we are proud of the efforts of our student body in collecting candies and $313 for the Good Shepherd Ministry that ministers to those less fortunate on the

Downtown East Side.

This past Friday our students also directed their PJ Dress Down Fundraiser for the Holy Childhood Association. This association is a world-wide mission club for elementary school children. With “Children Helping Children”, young people are involved in the missionary activity of the Church by learning about, praying for and sharing with the needy children around the world. The money donated helps provide food, medicine, clean water, shelter and education to children in third world countries.

We are also grateful to our St. Edmund’s family for the much-needed food donations to support the victims of the recent BC floods, especially those in the Abbotsford area. Special thanks to one of our families who generously offered to pick up and deliver our donations to Archway Community Services. We have a very giving community indeed!

Prison Ministry:

We thank our primary classes and grades 4 & 6 who made and sent beautifully written Christmas cards for the Prison Ministry. These cards will provide some hope and inspiration to those who have faced difficult circumstances, especially during this season when many may have been forgotten by family and friends.

Prayers for Peace
Tuesdays, 3:00-3:20 – Every Tuesday after school, our grades 4 to 7 students have the opportunity to read and reflect on the Word of God and pray for their needs and the needs of others.

Winter Weather Conditions:

In the event of severe weather conditions such as snow, please listen to CKNW 980 AM for information about school closures. All efforts will be made to announce if the school is closed due to snow or severe weather conditions by 7:00 a.m. An e-mail will be sent out to all families from the Office.

Dress for the Weather:

Please ensure your child comes to school each day with appropriate clothing for the outdoors. Unless it is raining heavily, the students will be going outside during recess and lunch breaks. Therefore, it is important that students all have a warm coat or rainproof jacket with a hood and appropriate footwear such as boots each and every day. Students will still be required to wear regulation uniform shoes indoors. Boots (including ‘UGG style’ or boots with fur) are not appropriate to be worn as indoor regulation uniform shoes.

Communicating Student Learning – Report Card Conferences:

Our teachers appreciate your role as partners in your child’s learning and look forward to “zooming” with you on December 6th. Please note that students in grades 4 to 7 are also expected to attend their conference. Thank you for your commitment to taking the opportunity to meet and celebrate your child’s academic progress so far this year.

Kindergarten 2022 / 2023

If you have a child ready for Kindergarten for the 2022/23 class, please return the form below to the school office by Friday, December 10, 2021. Preference is given to siblings, however due to interest for enrolment in Kindergarten, we need to know how many spaces will be available for new families.

New Families 2022 / 2023

If you know any families whose first child will be in Kindergarten in September 2022, applications for the new school year are available on the school website and in the school office.