St. Edmunds Newsletter – May 2024
During the month of May, our attention is drawn to our devotion to our Blessed Mother and her example of faith and courage. In a special way, we also acknowledge the popular day of Mother’s Day when we give thanks to God for the gift of our mothers and for the vocation of motherhood.
Our grade 4 class will be honouring our Blessed Mother with a whole school prayer service on May 9th. Heartfelt thanks to Mr. Aguirre and the grade 4 students.
On behalf of Fr. Steny, Fr. Cannio and our staff, we would also like to take this opportunity to wish all mothers a wonderful Mother’s Day on May 12th and thank you for the love you bring to your families. May God bless all our earthly and heavenly mothers for all they have done for us.
Praying for all Mothers:
Loving God,
We thank you for the love of the mothers you have given us, whose love is so precious that it can never be measured.
Thank you, Lord, that you fill a mother’s heart with love,
That you have instilled in her very being the need to protect her children, if at all possible,
Thank you for giving her the gift of nurturing her children, of teaching them, of comforting them,
for feeding them and making a safe place for them.
For guiding them to be all that God has created them to be.
Fill every mother with love, wisdom, and endurance,
with strength and patience and joy.
Give them the ability to forgive again and again.
Enable her to rely on You and call upon You, because You will give her all she needs.
In Your precious and all-powerful name, Amen
Sacraments:
Our Grade 2 and Grade 7 continue to prepare for the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation. Please keep them and their teachers in your prayers during this special time in their faith formation. At these most sacred times in the lives of our children, may God fill them with the Holy Spirit and make them one with Christ in peace and love.
- Sacrament of First Holy Communion – Sunday, May 5th, 2:00 p.m.
- Rehearsal on Thursday May 2nd at 7:00 p.m. (beginning in the small hall)
- Sacrament of Confirmation – Wednesday, May 29th, 5:30 p.m.
- Rehearsal on Tuesday May 28th at 7:00 p.m. (beginning in the small hall)
Congratulations!
… to Ann Maria Arackal who advanced from our School Spelling Bee and participated in the CISVA Spelling Final on April 30th at Holy Cross Elementary. We are extremely proud of Ann Maria’s efforts which earned her a silver medal after 18 rounds! Bravo!
… to all our intermediate students who participated in the annual North Shore Catholic Schools Speech Arts Festival at St. Edmund’s during the week of April 22nd. Thank you to our office staff and Mrs. Lorezca, as well as the parent volunteers who helped with the organization of this event.
PPP & extra volunteering – Thank you to all the parent volunteers who assist daily with the safety of our children and community. We still need volunteers. If you need participation hours or are able to volunteer extra time, we would greatly appreciate it! Stay tuned for more information from our PEC Parent Participation Reps, Simone Galan & Georgiana Soare.
Thanks as well to our Garden group for keeping our playground beautiful, safe and clean. You help make our school even more inviting!
Uniform Updates – It is the expectation that all students come to school dressed in full uniform every day. Summer uniform can now be worn. This is an option to our regular school uniform which can be worn all year. Boys have the option of wearing dress shorts and intermediate girls have the option of wearing the school skort. (Refer to our uniform policy for further information.) Hair accessories should be plain navy, black or the school tartan colour. Colourful hair bows and hairbands are reserved for non-uniform dress-down days and hair colour is to remain natural. Please ensure all articles of clothing are labelled with your child’s name. Please be sure to order your uniform for next school year by June 15th to ensure that you receive your order by September.
Fundraising & Walkathon – Thank you to all the families who donated to our annual Walkathon! We reached our goal of $10,000 and with the generosity of an anonymous donor who gave $20,000, we were able to purchase 60 new Chromebooks and 2 charging carts for students to use for our educational programming.
We would also like to thank our PAC parents and additional volunteers who organized our Hot Dog Lunch as a recognition for the children’s efforts in their walks around the neighbourhood.
Calendar Highlights:
Wed. May 1 School Mass led by Kindergarten class at 9 am
Thurs. May 2 Communion Rehearsal for Gr. 2 Students & Parents at 7 pm
Sun. May 5 First Holy Communion Mass at 2 pm
Mon. May 6 Early Dismissal at 12 pm
Gr. 4-7 Parents Meeting at 6:30 pm
Start of Teacher Appreciation Week
May 8-10 Gr. 7 Outdoor School
Wed. May 8 Gr. 6 Class Mass at 9 am
Thurs. May 9 Crowning of Mary Prayer Service led by Gr. 4
Sun. May 12 Happy Mother’s Day!
Tues. May 14 PAC Meeting at 7 pm
Wed. May 15 Gr. 5 Class Mass at 9 am
Fri. May 17 NO SCHOOL – Pro-Day
Mon. May 20 NO SCHOOL – Victoria Day Holiday
Tues. May 21 7:00 p.m. PEC Meeting
Wed. May 22 Gr. 4 Class Mass at 9 am
Thurs. May 23 Spring Concert at 7 pm
Fri. May 24 North Shore Track Meet
Tues. May 28 Gr. 6 Immunization Clinic
Confirmation Rehearsal at 6:30 pm
Wed. May 29 Gr. 2/3 Class Mass at 9 am
Gr. 7 Confirmation Mass at 5:30 pm
St. Edmund’s Committees:
Parish Education Committee (PEC) Elections
Notice is hereby given that elections to St. Edmund’s Parish Education Committee will take place on the weekend of May 25 & 26th, 2024
For the coming year, we need to elect (two) members from St. Edmund’s Parish for St. Edmund’s School Education Committee.
Eligible to nominate and to be nominated for election are all registered parishioners (Catholics living within our parish boundaries), over 21 years of age and Catholic non-parishioners who have been attending our parish upon written agreement of their proper canonical pastor. (Pastor Authorization Forms are available in the parish office).
Eligible to vote are:
- Parishioners 19 years of age and a registered member of St. Edmund’s Parish
- Your name must appear on the Parish list.
- Members of registered families, whose name is not on the list, must contact the office, or register under their own name before the day of elections.
Nomination forms must be received in the parish office no later than May 10th by 4:00 p.m.
St. Edmund’s Parent Support Group (PSG)
The PSG is a necessary Parent Support Liaison Group between the school and the B.C. Gaming Commission who are responsible for application and expenditure of gaming funds that directly benefit students.
We are grateful for the past efforts of Ms. Lo, Ms. Spring and Ms. Brauer in leading this group and directing funds to pay for school buses for our student fieldtrips this year. We welcome Ms. Patel who has joined the committee, and we are seeking 2 new parents to sit on the PSG. If you are interested, please contact Ms. Silva for further information.