St. Edmunds Newsletter – March 2023
Lent, the forty days leading up to Easter in the Christian Calendar, is a time for prayer, penance and works of almsgiving and charity for others. During this time, we recognize our need for God’s forgiveness and seek to deepen our relationship with him. The important thing is to find something that will help us focus more on God and what he wants for our lives.
May this upcoming Holy season of Lent be a time for all of us to reflect on what is good in our lives and invite God to help us put right what is wrong and to remember just how much He loves us.
Let us take the time to reflect with our children, the true meaning of this season, so that we may focus on the power of Christ in our lives and strengthen our resolution to follow Jesus even more closely
Praying for Others:
Lenten Prayers for the Seminarians – Your children have received mite boxes to help support our Seminarians. These young men, with God’s grace, will one day serve as priests in our Archdiocese. We ask that you continue to pray for them and for vocations. Lenten mite boxes can be returned after Easter.
Our Grade 2 and Grade 7 classes have begun preparing for the Sacraments of Reconciliation (date), Holy Communion (date) and Confirmation (date). Please keep them and their teachers in your prayers during this special time in their faith formation.
Holy Land Tour – We also ask that you pray for Fr. Steny and all those who will be going on a tour of the Holy Land including Egypt, Palestine, Israel and Jordan from March 7th to 20th.
Acts of Kindness
The month of February was full of excitement with Catholic Schools Week, Valentine’s Day and Pink Shirt Day. Throughout all these activities the students were challenged to think of ways to show kindness towards their school peers, staff, families and community members. Thank you as well to our PAC for cutting out pink hearts for each child to write positive messages to post around the school.
Let’s continue to focus on “lifting each other up” and making acts of kindness a daily activity!
Student Led Conference Day – March 6th
Your children have been preparing for student-led conferences on Monday, March 6th. A reminder that there are no classes on this day, and we hope that everyone has had the opportunity to sign up through the portal for an appointment time. If you have a problem please call the school office for assistance.
Tennis and Hip Hop at St. Edmund’s
We were happy to have Coach Marcus Anderson from Fun Tennis Service come back for four fun days of learning tennis skills and games. The students have definitely enjoyed this opportunity in their physical education classes. We are also welcoming back 1Vibe Productions from Feb. 27 to March 3rd. Each class will be learning a routine as part of a dance and movement unit for all grades. We are looking forward to the opportunity for the students to build on their previous skills as well as having fun!
Registration for 2023/2024 – due Thursday, March 9th.
On behalf of Fr. Steny and the PEC, I would like to thank you for attending our virtual AGM on February 28th. We all feel blessed to be learning together and supporting each other in our community. Please remember that you must take your “green forms” to the parish office in order for Fr. Steny to sign the pastor’s authorization for your Category 1 status. Completed registration packages and applicable fees are due back to the school office by March 9th. Please refer to your checklist when completing your registration package to ensure you have signed and returned all necessary documents.
March Calendar Highlights:
1st Grades 6&2 Buddy Class Mass @ 9:00 a.m.
6th Student Led Conferences (no school except for your appointed time
Uniform Sale / Lost & Found
8th Grades 4 & Kindergarten Buddy Class Mass @ 9:00 a.m.
9th Returning Families Registration Due
10th Early Dismissal for Spring Break 12:00 p.m.
13-24th Spring Break – No School
27th School Re-opens
28th Class Photos (Bring your smiles and full uniform)
29th Grades 1&5 Buddy Class Mass @ 9:00 a.m.
Grades 3-7 Lenten Confessions
31st Dress Down Day
Please be sure to check our online calendar for further information and updates. We also ask that you check your email spam folder in case any school emails have been lost there.
Uniform
It is the expectation that all students come to school dressed in full uniform every day. Please ensure that your child has their school sweater and black school shoes. As many of your children are growing, we also ask that over spring break you take the time to check the fit of your child’s uniform. Remember that you can order uniform pieces online at Cambridge or call the office to enquire about items we may have that are available for a donation. Please also ensure that your child’s uniform is labeled with their name!
Health & Safety
St. Edmund’s School continues to follow provincial safety guidelines:
- Health Checks: Please continue to do a health check on your child every morning. If they do not feel well, please keep them at home.
- Masks: Students and staff are not required to wear masks. However, if anyone makes a personal decision to wear a mask, they are free to do so and will be respected.
- School Cleaning: The school facilities will be cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis by our janitor, Mr. Dodds.
- Visitors: Visitors are permitted in the school. However, no one should come into the school building if they are sick.
T-birds in Action
We are extremely proud of all our athletes and coaches and a special shout out to our Sr. Boys Basketball team for advancing to the quarter finals at the Richmond oval on Thursday, March 2nd. Thank you to our incredible fans and parent drivers! Go T-birds!
Fundraising
Once again St Edmunds will promote a fundraising initiative using Purdy for Easter Chocolates Treats, a great way to support our school community.
ORDER ONLINE: https://fundraising.purdys.com/1188790-103794
ORDER DUE: Wed, March 22nd 2023
ORDER PICK-UP: Thursday, April 6th 2023 small hall pick up
We are also selling beautiful plants just in time for Mother’s Day and Earth Day !
Plants are a great way to encourage our little friends to get out into the garden while choosing to support our school.
Thank you so much for your support!
We couldn’t do it without you.
ORDER ONLINE: stedmundsschool.growingsmilesfundraising.com
ORDER DUE: April 25th 2023
ORDER PICK-UP: May 6th 2023