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St. Edmunds Newsletter – November 2020

The month of November begins with All Saints’ Day on the 1st followed by All Souls’ Day on the 2nd. It is important for us to pray for the saints and the martyrs who were living examples of Christian witness, especially our patron St. Edmund whose feast day is November 16th.  It is also a time for us to remember the faithful departed on All Souls’ Day.

This month we also remember those who fought for peace and those who continue to work to keep our world at peace. Every year on November 11th, Canadians pause in silence for a moment of remembrance for the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country during times of conflict. May we focus on our ability to generously forgive others, remain calm in difficult situations, and be peacemakers in our daily lives.

May our prayers continue to bring us together in communion with the saints here on earth and in Heaven.

Remembrance Day

Lord our God, this Remembrance Day we entrust all our prayers and needs to your infinite mercy.  Help us to become ever more mindful of the bonds that unite us as a human family despite our differences.  Heal our inner wounds and outward divisions, that one day our world might live in your true and lasting peace. Amen

Remembrance Day Poppies:

The Royal Canadian Legion, North Vancouver Branch 118 has again asked us to support our veterans this year.  We will be accepting donations for poppies/stickers beginning next week and teachers will hand these out to students on Tuesday, November 10th when we will have a virtual prayer service prepared by the grade 6 class.

Communicating Student Learning

Last week you received a “mid-term” report to inform you about your child’s work habits in school.  We thank you for your continued communication with staff and being available to discuss your child’s learning plans & goals.

Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences: Monday, December 7th

To keep everyone safe, interviews will be held virtually via ZOOM. More details about registering and signing up online will be forthcoming in an email. Please note that there is no school for students on this day.

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Monday, December 7th from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

In our ongoing implementation of the BC Ministry curriculum, we are continuing to refine the manner in which we communicate your children’s progress to you.  Working in partnership with CISVA and the Ministry, we follow the Reporting Policy Guidelines which allows for some variations and flexibility in how schools can communicate with parents/guardians:

  • Proficiency Levels of Performance – We will continue to use the following descriptors to communicate a child’s growth and development in each curricular area: Emerging, Developing, Proficient, Extending.
  • As we continue our transition from letter grades in our intermediate reports, only Grades 7 will be assigned letter grades in Christian Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Socials and Science. Proficiency levels will be reported in other areas of learning.  Due to present policy, letter grades are available upon request for intermediate grades. 

We are working hard to create an optimal learning environment for our students and to provide a greater emphasis on communicating individual student learning relative to specific curricular skills and engaging students in personalized opportunities to demonstrate improvements in their learning.

Our reporting timeline for the year is as follows:

  • October (Interim Report)
  • December (Parent Teacher Conference)
  • January (Written Report)
  • February (Student Led/Celebration of Learning Conference)
  • April (Interim Report)
  • June (Final Written Summative Report)

All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, All Souls Day

Good Shepherd Ministry – Thank you to everyone who brought in a $2 donation on our dress down day to raise funds for the G.S. Ministry.  St Ed’s students have also been asked to collaborate with STA students in collecting some candies for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside community.  This activity gives us a great opportunity to do charitable works. Keep a look out for the paper lunch bags that were sent home and be sure to sort through candy with your child. If you do not have candy to donate this Halloween, a simple prayer for those in need would be greatly appreciated.

Professional Day

All staff will participate in a Professional Development Day on Friday, November 20th. Please note that there is no school for students on this day.

Thanks & Gratitude

Thank you to the Grade 4 class and Mr. Aguirre for their leadership in preparing our virtual Rosary Prayer Service.  Thank you as well to all the staff and students who participated in this beautiful celebration.

Calendar of Events:

Sun. Nov. 1 All Saints’ Day
Daylight Savings Time…Set your clocks back 1 hour
Mon. Nov.2 All Souls Day &
Early Dismissal (12:45 Primary; 1:00 Intermediate)
Tues. Nov. 3 Photo Retakes in the afternoon
Tues. Nov. 10 Virtual Remembrance Day Assembly – Prepared by Grade 6 Class
Wed. Nov. 11 Remembrance Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL
Mon. Nov. 16 Return Date for students on the Temporary Transition Option
St. Edmund’s Feast Day
Wed. Nov. 18 Grade 5 Mass
PEC Meeting – 6:30 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 20 Professional Day – NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Wed. Nov.25 Grade 1 at Mass
Fri. Nov. 27 Dress Down Day – Theme TBA – $2 donation

Reminders

Extra parish masses have been added to the schedule:

  • Saturday: 4pm, 6pm
  • Sunday: 8:00am, 10am & 12pm, 2pm, 4pm

Online registration is required every weekend at:

http://www.stedmundsparish.ca/mass-registration.html