St. Edmunds Newsletter – December 2024
Sunday, December 1st, marks the beginning of Advent, a sacred time of anticipation and hope as we prepare our hearts for the joyous celebration of Christ’s birth. During this season, let us come together as a community to share our many blessings and talents. May we embrace the spirit of Advent by spreading peace, practicing kindness, and celebrating the joy of togetherness with our loved ones and neighbors.
It is truly inspiring to witness the dedication and devotion of our staff and parents to Catholic Education. Choosing to send your children to a Catholic school is a meaningful commitment, and I am proud of the high standards we uphold here at St. Edmund’s. Faith is the foundation of all we do, and together, we are building a nurturing environment where our children grow both in knowledge and virtue, always guided by Christ’s teachings.
On behalf of the entire staff, I wish you and your family a blessed Advent season filled with faith, love, and the joyful anticipation of Christmas. May this time of preparation bring peace and hope to your hearts and homes.
Confessions
- For Grades 3 – 7 School students on Wednesday, December 4th after our Whole School Mass – When we receive the sacrament of Reconciliation, we show our desire to welcome the Lord with purified hearts.
- Parish Penitential Services: Thursday, December 12th, at 7 pm in our Church.
Annual Christmas Concert
- Dress Rehearsal – Wednesday, December 18th – students will be expected to come in their Christmas Concert costumes. An email will be sent to classes describing the costumes / outfits they will need.
- Evening Performance – Thursday, December 19 at 7 p.m.
- Doors will open at 6:30 and students are asked to be in their classrooms at 6:40. After the concert, students must be picked up from their classrooms.
With Appreciation & Gratitude
- To our grade 6 class for leading us in a reflective and reverent Remembrance Day Prayer Service.
- To our PAC and especially the grade 2 & 6 class parents for all the work they put into our Christmas Brunch Community event on November 30th.
- A heartfelt thank you to every family who donated to the Catholic Men’s Shelter. These essential care kits and clothing items will bring much needed support and hope for a fresh start.
Safety: Drop-off & Parking Reminders!
Thank you to our amazing parent volunteers who show up for crosswalk duty! Thank you for helping our community and especially our kids, safely cross the street.
For all parent/guardian/caregiver drivers…Please obey all parking/drop-off zone signage
- 6th & Jones Crosswalk – no stopping /parking in front of the crosswalk and up to the parking lot gate.
- Fire Zone in front of the Church entry and in front of the Gym entry on Mahon Street
We are always needing volunteers for crosswalk. If you need PPP hours, sign up on our volunteer portal and sign in on the clipboard when you arrive for your shift.
Fundraising:
Thank you to all our families who continue to support our fundraising efforts which are contributing to purchase resources for our Fine Arts Program, including the rental of equipment for our Christmas Concert!.
We are grateful for your Purdy’s Chocolate purchases and donations for the Christmas Brunch Fundraiser.
Pick up of your Purdy’s Orders will be:
Tuesday, Dec. 10th at 2:30 pm (from gym foyer entrance on Mahon)
We also would like to thank you for supporting the Book Fair this year which earned the school $1,500 in Scholastic products for our school library!
Extra Curricular Programs:
Thank you to all our volleyball coaches, scorekeepers, refs, parent drivers and fans who supported our athletes in a great fall season! We are very proud of all our teams, with a special shout out to the Inaugural Sr. Boys team whose success on the North Shore led them to the CISVA Finals at the Harry Jerome Sports Centre on Nov. 27th!
Communicating Student Learning (Report Card Day) – Friday, December 6th
Our teachers appreciate your role as partners in your child’s learning and were happy to meet you during the October conferences. Our first written learning update (report card) will have a new format aligned with the updated BC Ministry K-12 Student Reporting and our CISVA guidelines. There will be one proficiency level for each area of learning. There will not be any bullet points outlining specific skills but descriptive feedback on strengths, areas for further growth, proficiency levels, and goals that have been set by the student, in collaboration with the classroom teacher.
During this school year, you will receive at least five updates about your child’s learning:
- 3 written report cards, also referred to as learning updates in December, March and June, as well as
- 2 informal learning updates: Parent Teacher Interviews in October and Student-Led Conferences in February.
December Calendar:
Wed. Dec. 4 Whole School Advent Mass prepared by Grade 4 @ 9:00 am
Grades 3 to 7 Confessions
Fri. Dec. 6 Report Cards – Communicating Student Learning Updates sent home.
Tues. Dec. 10 Grade 6 young Entrepreneurs Fair
Tues. Dec. 10 Purdy’s Order Pick-up @ 2:30 pm school gym
Tues. Dec. 10 PAC Meeting @ 7pm
Wed. Dec. 11 Grade 5 Class Mass @ 9:00 am
Wed. Dec. 11 Choir singing at ICBC @ 1:00 pm
Thurs. Dec. 12 Kindergarten Dental & Hearing Screening
Fri. Dec. 13 Grade 2 Advent Prayer Service @ 11:00 am
Sat. Dec. 14 Parish Christmas Dinner @ 6:00 pm
Wed. Dec. 18 Christmas Concert Dress Rehearsal – students come in costume
Thurs. Dec. 19 Christmas Concert Presentation @ 7 pm
Fri. Dec. 20 Early dismissal @ 12:00 pm
12:00 Early Dismissal for the Christmas Holidays – Friday, December 20, 2024
KINDERGARTEN 2025/2026:
If you have a child (sibling of a current St. Edmund’s student) born in 2020, please contact the office for an application and return it by Monday, December 9th, 2024. Preference is given to siblings, however due to interest for Kindergarten 2025/26, we need to know how many spaces will be available for new families. Failure to return the form by the deadline may result in your child being placed on the waitlist for new families.
NEW FAMILIES 2025/2026:
If you know any families whose first child will be in Kindergarten in September 2025, applications for the 2025/2026 school year will be available in the school office. Please share the good news about St. Edmund’s with your family and friends! Interviews for new families will occur in January.