St. Clement Catholic Elementary-Junior High School November 2020 Newsletter Administrators’ Message

In November we celebrate two feast days in our church; November 1st is All Saints

Day and November 2nd is All Souls Day. All Saints Day is the day when we remember all those holy men, women and children who have gone before us to heaven. These saints, recognized by the church, are ‘ordinary’ people like you and I, and those in our family who led holy lives. They all lived lives faithful to God and they are cheering for us who are still living. All Souls Day is a day to remember our family and loved ones who have died. We ask God to help us live with the hope that one day we will be re-united in heaven.

Catholic Education Sunday is a day of celebration for all those involved in the world of education. It is an opportunity for schools and parishes to come together to celebrate and give thanks for all the students, teachers, support staff and volunteers who work so hard in and for Catholic schools. It is also a chance for us all to remember that our churches and schools must have open doors to all, and that we must go out of those doors to meet all with Christ’s love. Catholic education is alive and thriving at St. Clement Catholic School. Fr. Patrick and Fr. Felix, our parish priests at St. Theresa Parish, continue to visit our school every Thursday morning and to be very involved with school events and with getting to know our students and their families.

This month, we also take time to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in a country where democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law are fundamental principles. We can enjoy this incredible privilege because of the valor of those Canadians who, throughout our history, answered the call to serve our country, defending the values that we hold dear. We will never forget the men and women who, despite the danger and perils, gave their all to protect the ideals of justice and freedom.

They deserve our gratitude and utmost respect. Please join us for our virtual Remembrance Day Ceremony on Tuesday, November 10th beginning at 2:00 pm, where we thank the veterans of the last century, Canadian Forces members serving our country around the world, the families of these incredible men and women, and those whom we never had the chance to honor.

Our School Council and Fundraising Society is always looking for more parent involvement;

please consider joining the School Council or Fundraising Society this year. Our next meeting is

scheduled for November 23 at 4:30 pm virtually! The School Council and Fundraising Society allow for

parents to collaborate with the school team and plan wonderful opportunities for our children. Please

consider joining us for this worthwhile cause!

Please be reminded that St. Clement is closed on Thursday, November 5, due to a PD Day for

staff; therefore, there will be no scheduled classes.

Sincerely, Sarah Mandolesi Joseph Estephan Principal Assistant Principal

Chaplain’s Corner - St. Clement Feast Day

On Friday, November 27th we will honour our patron saint and namesake, St. Clement. Did you know…

• He was likely of Jewish parentage and seems to have been a disciple of the

Apostles in Rome.

• He is also referred to as Pope Clement I and was likely consecrated as bishop of

Rome by St. Peter himself.

• Clement of Rome's letter to the Corinthians is a beautiful letter, and will allow you to

breathe in the Spirit of early Christianity. It is one of the most pleasant and easy to read

of the early Christian writings. It is also the only one outside of the New Testament

writings that can be confidently dated in the first century.

On this day we will incorporate our district theme of, “God Calls Us Each by Name.” We will gather as a school community on Microsoft Teams (using the morning announcement link) for a Liturgy of the Word (time to be determined at a later date), followed by an afternoon of faith-filled activities which will take place in each homeroom. More details and information to come as the date nears! To celebrate this day, we invite all students and staff to wear their school spirit apparel, or the school colours: red, white, and black!

All Saints Day & All Souls Day All Saints November 1 (from livingwithchrist.ca) “This feast honors all the saints of the Church, known and unknown. The occasion provides an opportunity to reflect on the nature of sainthood and to celebrate the exemplary faithfulness of holy men and women of every place and time whose lives and deeds continue to inspire us. Originally a feast in the Eastern Church for all martyrs, it was extended to the whole Roman Church in the 9th century as a feast including non-martyrs. It was given this date, November 1, to counter a pagan feast on the same day. In England it was called Allhallows. (‘Hallow’ is from the Old English word for ‘holy.’) Thus ‘Hallowe’en, a vestige of this pagan celebration, is from “All Hallows’ Eve” or the “Eve of All Saints.”

All Souls’ Day November 2 “Since the early Church, Christians have prayed for the dead. By the 7th century, some monastic foundations reserved this day to pray for deceased members and benefactors. In 988, Odilo, abbot of the great monastery of Cluny in France, established the tradition of keeping, ‘with joyous affection, the memory of all the faithful departed who have lived from the beginning of the world until the end.’ By the 14th century, the commemoration had spread

through Europe and was universally accepted in the Latin Church.

Happy are those who have died in the Lord. Let them rest from their labours for their good

deeds go with them. Revelation 14.13

Reading All-Stars

Our first monthly draw for our St. Clement Reading All-Stars (home reading program) was held on October 27, 2020. We are pleased to congratulate our lucky winners who will enjoy a treat and a new book with Miss Milite and Miss Daza on Friday October 30, 2020. Please continue to encourage your children to participate in the program by reading nightly, getting their reading strips signed and handing them into their teacher, in order to be included in the draw! KA: Evan R KB: Gabriela B Grade 1: Iliya S Grade 2: Hana M Grade 3: Jason T Grade 4: Esther S Grade 5: Madison B Thank you to Miss Daza and Miss Milite for coordinating our All-Stars Reading Program and thank you to our parents for encouraging their children to read and participate! Inclement Weather

As noted inside the student agenda, if the weather is inclement, students will be kept indoors during recess and the noon hour. At such times, an indoor activity will be in effect for all grades. The above policy will be followed when:

1. The temperature (including wind chill) is -20C or colder.

2. On days when there is continuous rainfall.

Students are expected to come to school with appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. On days when the weather is severe, students may wait on the mats in their designated entrance before school starts. However, please note that after school students are to wait outside for their ride, and that the school provides outdoor supervision from 3:00-3:15 PM.

*New - Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences is a time for parents/guardians to discuss the student’s progress, share the student’s strengths and needs, and work with the teacher to help your child do well in school.

This year, due to COVID-19 and safety protocols, we will not be able to have in-person parent-teacher conferences. Rather, this event will take place virtually using Microsoft Teams on Thursday, November 26th from 1pm-5:00pm, and 6:00-8:00pm (for all grades).

Appointments MUST be made and booked online using Conference Manager. This makes booking conferences a lot easier for parents/guardians. Specific instructions on booking through Conference Manager will be emailed out to families on Friday, November 13. If you do wish to speak with your child’s teacher regarding any concerns before or after this date, please call the school or email the teacher to set-up an appointment. Please note that teachers are unable to meet with parents during instructional time as this impedes on the learning time of students.

*New – Virtual Scholastic Book Fair Due to COVID-19 and safety protocols, we will not be able to have an in-person Scholastic Book Fair. Rather, purchases for books and other merchandise will be made online – just in time for Christmas! This Virtual Book Fair will take place between November 16-27. Your support of this event is key in helping us obtain new books and resources for our library and classrooms.

We hope you enjoy your virtual experience and thank you, in advance, for supporting this great literary fundraiser.

Here is the link to get started with your shopping. Please note that this link will become active beginning November 16: https://bookfairs-canada.myshopify.com/pages/5149543

IB News

November 2020

Principled – A Month of Remembrance

Our IB learner profile attribute this month is Principled. During the month of November let us take time to think about the many men and women who gave their lives during past and current wartimes and how they were acting on the basis of high ideals for a just world.

Developing the Learner Profile Attribute – Principled

“We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences."

Check out these resources to support learning about being principled: http://www.iblearnerprofile.com/principled.html

https://childrenslibrarylady.com/ib-learner-profile-traits/

• Involve your child in deciding on the rules for a game or activity and then ensure that they stick to the ones that have been decided upon.

• Encourage your child to play games that involve teams. Discuss with your child the qualities of a team player. • What sort of person would they want on their team?

• When playing a game, don’t change the rules to let your child win. Being a gracious loser is just as important as being a good winner

Social Emotional Learning Resources

https://mgiep.unesco.org/covid#

UNESCO MGIEP has developed helpful resources in Social and Emotional (SEL). Scroll this webpage to explore SEL resources for educators, parents and learners.

MYP ‘Service as Action’ COVID Updates

The “Service as Action” requirement does not count hours, only the achievement of learning outcomes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we would understand that schools' and students may not be in session for a time and thus, may not be able to continue with Service as Action. In this situation, the safety of our students comes first and hopefully they have many of their learning outcomes completed, which may form the basis for the school’s final judgement.

St. Clement will embed reflective service-learning opportunities within the curriculum and evidence will be documented in the students e-portfolio.

Student – Led Conferences

Please see the school newsletter for more information on how to review your child’s progress during conferences this year. With COVID protocols, sharing your child’s portfolio/progress will look different and take place over a virtual format.

As always we welcome questions about the IB programme in our school. Rosanne Boutin is the coordinator for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Primary Years Programme (PYP). She can be reached at (780) 462-3806.

Remembrance Day Ceremony – November 10 November 11 is a day on which the poppy is proudly worn over our hearts. On this day, as Canadians, we fulfill our duty to remember and to pay tribute to our fellow citizens, who paid the ultimate price and lost their lives. Our Remembrance Day Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 10 at 2:15pm via Microsoft Teams. As always, parents are invited to join us; we would love to see you there! https://bit.ly/34wcGqL

Poppies will be distributed to students that morning. Donations to the poppy fund will be gratefully accepted; monies raised through the poppy fund go to support our veterans

Remembrance Day – November 11 – NO SCHOOL!

School Council

Parents are always welcome to join us for our School Council meetings. Our next meeting will be held on Monday, November 23 at 4:30pm via Microsoft Teams. Please follow this link to join us at 4:30 virtually!

Power Teacher Pro – Steps to Viewing Your Child(ren)’s Marks Step 1) To view your child’s marks/grades for assignments and tests please log into your Power School account at www.powerschool.ecsd.net

Step 2) Click on Grades and Attendance from the left-hand column.

Step 3a) For 100 Voices to Grade 6:

Step 4) For Grades 7-9: After logging in to the PowerSchool parent portal, you will see the landing page which looks like this screen:

Step 4b) For Grades 7-9 click on a percentage score under the Y1 column. Do this will expand/open all the assessment thus far in the course.

• You will then see the assessments, and then you can click on the “show standards tab”.

Clicking this tab will reveal the scores given for each learner outcome assessed.

Step 5: Other important information for all Grades.