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St. Elizabeth Seton School

10845 Hidden Valley Drive NW

Calgary, Alberta T3A 6K3

Phone: (403) 500-2105

Fax: (403) 500-2305

www.cssd.ab.ca

www.cssd.ab.ca/stelizabethseton

Twitter: @StESeton_CCSD

Principal’s Message

Dear Seton Families,

Happy New Year to all of our wonderful students and families! I hope you had opportunities to connect with those special to you during the holiday.

In our work, and probably across our life spectrum, something is becoming increasingly clear to me; the reality of the proverbial ‘blink’ and a day/week/ month/ semester is gone. Where does the time go? With that said, welcome to 2020. We hope that the first half of the school year was positive for your child’s learning and personal development. If it wasn’t, then we hope you and your child will reflect on this, plan for some changes, and stick with the plan as we start the New Year.

Our closure to 2019 school year marked the last days prior to the Christmas break. Staff were focused on temporarily winding down the learning process and everyone looked forward to the break. In those final weeks our community completed acts of service in providing food hampers and gifts to over 10 families through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. I would like to extend my gratitude to my school community for the wonderful gift of giving I was witness to. The Christmas Season truly was a season of giving at the school. We hope you enjoyed our Celebration of song held on December 16th, we hope you had the opportunity to see what your children have been learning in their Music classrooms, through their original and creative songs and instruments.

We are pleased our students are achieving much learning and are growing in many ways. We are consistently congratulating students who are growing their personal power as they demonstrate leadership characteristics. As a staff, we are very proud of our students, and even more importantly, we are teaching them to be proud of themselves. Our students are consistently reminded that they can be anything and go anywhere in this world if they set goals and if they are willing to work hard. We expect to see great things from our students in the future!

Please join us at our upcoming School Council meeting on January 14, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. Your input is greatly valued, and we look forward to discussing with you and sharing information about all that is taking place here at school. We hope to see you there!

I look forward to taking this time to reflect upon the wonders of the New Year. Watching your children flourish with the guidance of the fantastic teachers at St. Elizabeth Seton School is a true blessing. While visiting classrooms, I witness students who are engaged and excited about their learning. I am very proud of the students and teachers, and I look forward to more great things in 2020.

God Bless,

Mrs. A. Corah, Principal

Mrs. A. Corah Principal

Mr. G. Way Vice Principal

Mrs. T. Morton

Assistant Principal

Happy

New Year

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Our Catholic Faith—The Season of Epiphany

The Epiphany event occurred shortly after Jesus was born in Bethlehem and is celebrated by the

Catholic Church on January 6th of each year.

This day commemorates the day when the Magi, the three kings, came to pay homage to Christ , the

King.

According to the Catholic Church the Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Isreal,

Son of God and Savior of the World.

The three kings symbolize the acceptance of Jesus as the salvation of the world through the

Incarnation.

Their journey to Israel in order to pay homage to Jesus shows that they sought the one who would be

king of all nations.

Their coming means that everyone can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of

the World.

Happy New Year to you and your family from the staff at St. Elizabeth Seton!

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Advent Liturgy

Ms. Powell, Mrs. Berscht and Mrs. Allan hosted the Advent liturgy on December 4th. The choir, led by the

participating classes, led the rest of the student body in song. Father Rodel led the liturgy and delivered

the homily reminding students that one of the ways to prepare for the coming of our Lord is to engage in

prayer often. This liturgy at the beginning of Advent helped students to prepare their souls and minds for

the sacredness of the season.

Christmas Hampers and Angel Tree Service Project

Our Christmas hamper and angel tree service project was a huge success. St. Elizabeth Seton school community gathered items for food hampers and provided gifts for families within our Catholic School district. Students were involved in collecting food items, while families chose to purchase gifts off the angel tree that was set up during parent teacher conferences. Thank-you to the families that volunteered to deliver the items on December 11th and 12th. Together as a community, we were able to work together to make a difference to 10 families during this Advent and Christmas Season.

Why We Love Catholic Education

The local GrACE group is promoting awareness in the community about the importance of having Catholic Education. During parent teacher conferences, parents were asked what they love about Catholic Education. The responses were printed onto hearts and are displayed in the school. Thank you to all the parents who shared why they love Catholic Education.

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Elementary Christmas Concert

On Monday December 16th, our elementary students participated in their Christmas concert entitled

Christmas Around the World. They had an afternoon performance and then had a full gymnasium for the

evening performance. Students played the hand bells, and the djembe drums. Each grade performed a

classic Carol from a different country and played ukuleles, tambourines, maracas etc. The gym was also

decorated with art that individual classes prepared for the event.

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Junior High Counsellor’s corner

Grade 9 students have received a helpful booklet produced by our school board entitled “Footprints to Your Future”. This book will serve as a guideline for requirements of marks needed to enter the various streams of courses being offered a the high school. It is extremely important for parents and students to adhere to the boundaries for given high schools. Any questions, please contact Mrs. Manchester. The registration process will begin in January and continue through February. I will be working with the students and teachers to draft their registrations, with a final copy being sent home for your review and signature. The final registration will be done, on-line, in March. This will be done at the school. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at the school 403-500-2105. Anxiety Anxiety is our body’s reaction to perceived danger or important events. Anxiety is like an internal alarm system. It alerts us to danger and helps our body prepare to deal with it. For example, it allows us to jump out of the way of a speeding car. It also helps us to perform at our best, like when you are studying for that final exam. Anxiety is something that everyone experiences from time to time. Anxiety can become a problem when… • Anxiety goes off when there is no real danger (such as a smoke alarm going off when you are making toast) • Anxiety happens a lot. • Anxiety feels pretty intense. • Anxiety stops you from doing fun and important things that you want to do (like going to school dances or

parties, making friends or dating, getting your homework done, or getting a job or your driver’s license.) Rather than worrying about situations that make you anxious, take action. Use these general coping strategies to help you cope with anxiety in any situation. • Connect with others - talk through your worries with a friend or family member or teacher or champion. • Get physical – go for a walk or jog. • Do something soothing – listen to relaxing music, take a hot bath, do some yoga or gentle stretches. • Get a good night’s sleep (aim for about 9 hours) • Avoid caffeine and sugar (they can make you feel more anxious) • Plan something fun (it can take your mind off anxiety so you can focus on living!) • Set one or two goals to get some things done – getting stuff off your plate can lower your stress level. Recommended Apps for support. Give them a try!! Mindshift Headspace

Best regards,

Charlotte Manchester Counsellor

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Parking Concerns Student Safety/Being a Good Neighbor

We have witnessed numerous parent’s double parking times of congestion to drop their child off at the school. Double parking to drop your child off is against the law because it is very dangerous and we will be reporting licence plates to the police in an effort to stop this from happening. Put your child’s safety first over convenience. If you personally witness this activity happening, please report the license plate number to us at the office

Do not park your vehicle: • On a sidewalk or boulevard • On a crosswalk or on any part of a crosswalk • Within an intersection other than immediately next to the curb in a

“T” intersection • Within 1 .5 metres of an access to a garage, private roadway or

driveway • Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when the stopping or parking would

obstruct traffic • Beside other vehicles where you may be double-parked • At any other place where a traffic control device prohibits stopping or parking, during the times

stopping or parking is prohibited • Within five metres of any fire hydrant, or when the hydrant is not

located at the curb, within five metres of the point on the curb nearest the hydrant

• Within five metres of the near side of a marked crosswalk • Do not make a U-turn unless you can do it safely and without

interfering with other traffic • Outside urban areas U-turns are not permitted on a curve or near

the crest of a hill where the driver of another vehicle cannot see your vehicle.

• U-turns are not permitted in urban areas in the following situations • On a roadway between intersections • Where a sign prohibits making a U-turn • At an intersection controlled by a traffic-control signal (traffic lights) • At an alley intersection

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Junior High Band Concert

Junior High Band Concert is February 20th at 6:00PM.

The location of your child’s Epipen needs to be known to all staff who may encounter your child. Your child

must carry an Epipen with him/her at all times or have it readily available (i.e., in the same room in a location

known to the teacher). A second Epipen must be stored in the office. The child’s locker is not a suitable place

to store an Epipen

The basketball season is upon us, with the regular season kicking off the first Wednesday back from Christmas holidays. The Senior Boys and Girls teams are looking forward to continuing their growth as athletes, teammates, and community ambassadors for St. Elizabeth Seton. We want to thank all students who tried out for the teams, with Grade 7 and 8 students able to try out for our Junior Basketball teams in early January. Looking forward to a competitive and enjoyable season! Go Sting Go! Coaches Mrs. Carr and Mr. Sampson

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School Council Meeting

A gentle reminder that the monthly School Council Meeting is Tuesday, January 14th, at 6:00 pm in the

learning commons.

Our 2019-2020 Executive consists of:

Chair: Nicolle Gomez de Sousa

Vice Chair: Carmen Wagler

Treasurer: Kathryn Durroch

Secretary: Chantel Erickson

Patrollers

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Wednesday, February 5th, 2020 at 6:30-8:30pm

Bishop Carroll High School (Self-Directed High School Program)

Program Information & Open House:

Open House: Thursday January 16th , 2020

St. Mary’s High School (IB students only) Program Information & Open House: Shadow Day and Open house Wednesday, February 12th, 2020 at 9:00am – 2:00pm; 7:00 – 9:00pm

2020—2021 Registration

We are now accepting registrations for all grades for 2020-2021.

Documents required:

-Birth Certificate

- Proof of residency (current utility bill)

- Hidden Valley/Hanson Ranch for Elementary

- Hidden Valley (or) Panorama for Junior High

- Baptismal Certificate

Registration forms are available at the office