WELCOME MESSAGES

Administrators’ Message Bishop David’s Message Superintendent’s Message

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Meet the Staff Enrolment & Class Size Hour of Operation Office Hours Permeation of Faith

Tips for Parents My Child’s Learning Report Cards Textbooks Safety Drills

Visitors and Volunteers Updating Registration Info Hot Lunch Program

BREAKING NEWS

Playground Update Modular Classroom Delays Changes to Alberta Immunization Program

COMMUNICATION

PowerSchool|Swift K12 School Website School Emergencies School Handbook

TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC SAFETY

Bus Passes/Yellow Bus Student Pickups & Drop Offs Safety Patrols Slow Down for School Zones

VOL. 2, ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 2018

SCHOOL FEES AND PURCHASING INFORMATION

School Fees Chromebook Purchases BDM Spirit Wear Property Taxes

POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES

School Policies & Operating Procedures

Protocol for Parent Concerns Personal Property| Electronic Devices

Vacations | Extended Absences

Illness and Recess

Closed Campus Elementary Boomerang Lunch

Allergy Aware Policy Medical Alerts

UPCOMING EVENTS

Soccer Season Begins School Council AGM Meet the Staff BDM Marafun

School Opening Celebration School Picture Day Indigo Adopt-a-School

WELCOME MESSAGES

Administrators’ Message

We are so happy to welcome all of our new students and families to Bishop David Motiuk School! We are glad you’re here and we are looking forward to a happy, productive school year filled with wonderful learning and happy memories. We look forward to working with you over the coming school year.

Our district theme for the year, ‘Walking Together in God’s Love” invites us to reflect upon Micah 6:8 - “Act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.”

We invite our students, our staff and our community to walk together as we seek to do good, to be kind and caring toward others and to humbly do what God asks of us.

As many of you know, we submitted our applications for candidacy for the IB Primary and Middle Years Programmes to the International Baccalaureate in June. We are very pleased to announce that Bishop David Motiuk Catholic Elementary and Junior High School is now a candidate school* for the MYP. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. IB World Schools share a common philosophy- a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education- that we believe is important for our students.

*Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP), or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes visit http://www.ibo.org.

We are waiting to hear whether or not our application for candidacy in the PYP has been accepted. Preparing for candidacy, which would officially begin in March 2019, will be our focus for teaching and learning over the coming year. We will be sending our teachers for training in the IB programmes, working on developing a preliminary programme of inquiry, and introducing our students to the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile.

The IB Learner Profile is a reflection of the IB mission. It provides a long-term vision of education and a set of ideals

designed to inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers. The Learner Profile is at the center of all teaching and learning in the IB programmes. IB learners strive to be knowledgeable, open-minded, caring, balanced, principled and reflective individuals who are inquirers, thinkers, communicators and risk-takers.

We will be providing additional information about the IB programmes at our Meet the Staff evening on September 19 and in our monthly newsletters over the course of the year.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year with your children!

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Bishop David’s Message

September 2018

What I Learned Over the Summer: Martyrdom and Witnessing to the Beauty of Faith

After a relaxing and enjoyable summer, we return once again to the classroom, renewed and full of excitement as a new School Year begins.

When I was a student, our teacher would welcome us back, then invite each of us to share something special that happened during summer vacation.

In keeping with this tradition, one of the highlights of my summer was a trip to Ukraine. I sit on an international advisory committee with Patriarch Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church worldwide. Our small group of five bishops (we affectionately call ourselves the “G5!) is a bit of a “think tank,” reflecting on the where the Holy Spirit is calling us to be as Church in the years to come. (Now my friends – if I may call them that – asked me “How in the world did I get on a think tank?” Of course, what I heard was, “Oh, how wonderful, Bishop David, that you’re part of this exciting and visioning process!”

Anyway, after two days of meetings, I took part in a pilgrimage to Stradch, near Lviv, western Ukraine. In 1951, Rev. Mykola Konrad, the local pastor, was called to make a sick call to an elderly parishioner. Today, that would not be anything extraordinary. However, in 1951, communism was in full strength and the Church was outlawed in the Soviet Union. Father Mykola, accompanied by the parish cantor, Volodymyr Pryjma, went in secret to administer the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Penance to a member of their flock. Perhaps it was a setup by the communists. When they arrived, they were killed on the spot, dying the death of a martyr for the faith.

Each year, this year included, the local parish in Stradch organizes a pilgrimage in honour of the Holy Martyrs Father Mykola Konrad and Cantor Volodymyr Pryjma. The pilgrimage Divine Liturgy was lead by Patriarch Sviatoslav, 12 bishops (including me), and 200 priests. If that is not awesome in and of itself, some 30,000 children, youth, families, and elderly men and women joined in the celebration, many walking on foot the 15 kilometre trek from Lviv! To say it was inspiring sells it short; I was spellbound. The event instilled in me faith beyond words.

Martyrdom. Witness.

All of us may not be called to martyrdom like Father Konrad and Cantor Pryjma (thank God!) However, the scriptural meaning of martyrdom (from the Greek marturia) means witness. Indeed, the entire mission of the Church, entrusted to us by Jesus, is to give witness to the love of God the Father in the world today. Jesus, after his resurrection from the dead and just before he ascends to heaven and to the Father, tells his disciples, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

During this new School Year, may you and I be true witnesses of Jesus’s love and mercy to our classmates, teachers, parents, brothers and sisters, friends, neighbours, and strangers.

And, in so doing, let us recall the words attributed to Saint Francis, “Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary, use words.”

Have a great School Year!

God bless!

Bishop David

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Superintendent’s Message

Superintendent Joan Carr’s message is available online:

Superintendent’s Message for September

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Meet the Staff

Teaching Staff

100 Voices: Michelle Snihur

Kindergarten: Kinder A/B – Justyna Lucas | Kinder C/D – Carmen Anderson | Kinder E – Christina Lepage

Grade One: 1A Magdalena Greenwood | 1B Nella La Forge | 1C Amanda Lowe | 1D Stephanie Carr |

1E Kadishia Loeppky

Grade Two: 2A Nicole Antonakis | 2B Michelle Smart | 2C Daniela Fiacco | 2D Karen de Wee |

Grade Three: 3A Gabriella Bilotta | 3B Lynn Kluthe | 3C Angie Nyznyk | 3D Dalyce Szaszkiewicz

Grade Four: 4A Phil Campbell | 4B Shanley Mercer | 4C Christina Panizzon

Grade Five: 5A Emma Hewko | 5B Luke Wasik | 5C Sunata Halliday

Grade Six: 6A Michael Poulin | 6B Lyndsy Panizzon

Grade Seven: 7A Tracy Durie | 7B Gabrielle Karpyshyn | 7C Rachel Avery

Grade Eight: 8A Tiffany Petersen | 8B Lesley Oleksiw

Grade Nine: 9A Monica Posteraro | 9B Kevyn Ernest

Teachers: Alyssa Tungul | Michael Loeffler

Chaplains: Elementary Sunata Halliday| Junior High Kevyn Ernest

Learning Coaches: Mellisa Mall-Masih | Jodi Min

IB Coordinators: PYP Andrea Olivieri | MYP Lyndsy Panizzon

On Leave: Serena Sharrock-Wiggins | Graziana Caramia

Classroom Support Staff

Early Learning Facilitator: Elaine Jones

Educational Assistants: Stamatina Breen | Janneth Cano | Debbie Chapman | Bev Parker | Trudy Parrack | Elizabeth Persad | Adriana Ramirez-Barreto | Valerie Wong | Elizabeth Dak (On Leave)

Out of Scope Staff

School Team Advisor for Youth (STAY) Doug Green

Multi-Disciplinary Team

Family School Liaison Social Worker: TBA

Emotional Behavioral Specialist: Raena McIntyre

Therapeutic Assistant – Behavior Therapy: Jallisa Aransevia

Therapeutic Assistant – Speech Language: Lindsay Dickson | Jennifer Patera

Speech Language Therapist: Shantelle Bihis

Clerical Support Staff

Head Secretary: Joanne Ronaldson

Clerks: Jaime Te Velde | Sherry Day

Media Resources: Marian Butz-Gauk

Custodial Staff

Head Custodian: Noukhaiz Uppal

Senior Custodian: Ronald Santos

Custodian: Val Rivera

Light Duty Custodian: Blanca Silva Dalla Torre

School Administration

Principal: Terry Volk

Assistant Principals: Elementary: Alicia Fenton | Assistant Principal – Junior High: Chris Cicchini

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Enrolment and Class Size

The word is out in the community that Bishop David Motiuk is a great school and we are pleased to be able to meet the needs of Catholic families in Lewis Estates. We are still receiving requests for enrolment. Classes are at or near capacity in most grades, so new registrations are limited to Catholic families who reside within our boundary areas. Class size averages are as follows:

100 Voices: 22 Kindergarten: 19 Grade One: 21

Grade Two: 25 Grade Three: 22 Grade Four: 26

Grade Five: 24 Grade Six: 33 Grade Seven: 25

Grade Eight: 31 Grade Nine: 23

Although we expect a bit of change as some families move away and others move into the neighbourhood, we currently have 647 students in elementary and 184 students in junior high registered with us, for a total of 830 students. Enrolment numbers will be finalized on September 30.

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Hours of Operation

Bishop David Motiuk operates on a five-day, fixed schedule for both elementary and junior high students. This format allows us to more easily plan activities and to book shared spaces in the school. With a fixed schedule, it should also be easier for families to know exactly what is happening on any given school day.

Early Learning Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday (No instruction on Thursdays for 100 Voices or Kindergarten)

100 Voices (Half Day AM Group) 8:25 – 11:33 AM

100 Voices (Half Day PM Group) 12:04 – 3:12 PM

Kindergarten (Half Day AM Groups) 8:40 – 11:38 AM

Kindergarten (Half Day PM Groups) 12:14 – 3:12 PM

Note: Kindergarten students in both AM and PM classes will have six full day field trips over the course of the school year. On full days, there will be no transportation after school for morning classes and no transportation to school for afternoon classes.

Dates for Full Day Kindergarten Classes: Oct 2 and 3 | May 6, 7, 8 | June 11

Grades 1 - 9

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday

Grades 1 - 5 Grades 6 - 9

Registration 8:40 AM Registration 8:40 AM

Instruction 8:45 – 10:15 AM Instruction 8:45 – 10:27 AM

Recess 10:15 – 10:30 AM Locker Break 10:27 – 10:33 AM

Instruction 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Instruction 10:33 AM – 12:15PM

Lunch 12:00 – 12:45 PM Lunch 12:15 – 1:02 PM

Instruction 12:45 – 3:12 PM Instruction 1:02 – 3:12 PM

*The outside bell rings at 8:40 AM. At this time, students are asked to line up in homeroom groupings and wait for their teacher to escort them into the building.

*Afternoon instruction includes a 5 minute health break.

Thursday (Early Dismissal Day)

Grades 1 - 5 Grades 6 - 9

Registration 8:40 AM Registration 8:40 AM

Instruction 8:45 – 10:15 AM Instruction 8:45 – 10:27 AM

Recess 10:15 – 10:30 AM Locker Break 10:27 – 10:33 AM

Instruction 10:30 AM – 12:15 PM Instruction 10:33 AM – 12:15PM

In order to provide for early dismissal before major holidays, the Thursday before Christmas Holidays, Spring Break and Summer Holidays will be a full day of instruction for students. The Friday before the holiday will be a short day with dismissal at 12:15 PM.

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Office Hours

Our school office is open from 8:00 AM to 3:45 PM. Parents who call the school after these hours are asked to leave a clear message and we will return your call as soon as we are able to.

Please remember that we will be happy to give your child a message at the end of the day or at breaks in instructional time, such as recess or lunch. We thank you for your understanding of our wanting to protect learning time for all students by not interrupting classes for messages.

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Permeation of Faith

As a result of Bill 44, The Alberta Human Rights Act requires all schools in the province of Alberta to give notice to a parent or guardian when courses of study, educational programs, institutional materials, instruction or exercises include subject matter that deals primarily and explicitly with religion.

The essential purpose of Edmonton Catholic Schools is to fully permeate Catholic theology, philosophy, practices and beliefs, the principles of the Gospel and teachings of the Catholic Church, in all aspects of school life, including in the curriculum of every subject taught, both in and outside of formal religion classes, celebrations and exercises. Every course of study and education program, all institutional materials, instruction and exercises will at all times include subject matter that deals primarily and explicitly with religion.

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Tips for Parents

As the new school year begins, it is important to remember that students who experience success in school are diligent and conscientious in their approach to school work. There are a number of ways that parents can help their children as they prepare for the start of the new school year:

Talk with your children about the school day. Use questions such as “How was your day?” “Tell me all about it.” “Do you have homework?” “What is your homework?” “What was the best part of your day?” “Who did you sit with for lunch?” If your children have recess, try these questions: “Who did you play with?” “What did you play?” These are just ideas for starting the conversation each day. Soon your children will start the conversation themselves. If you can initiate the conversation as soon as you see your children each day, it will become part of a daily, “scheduled” event.

Get to know your child’s teachers. Children notice when their parents greet their teachers — and when their teachers know who they are!

Check on the academic progress of your children. Start early! Junior high parents can use PowerSchool to access their child’s marks and assignments in a secure online environment. Elementary parents may use the Student Agenda Book to record homework and assignments, it can also become a key communication tool between parents and teachers. Parents are urged to check their child’s agenda regularly.

Read the monthly newsletter and check our website often. The newsletter includes information that can answer many questions you may have, and it will alert you to upcoming events. The newsletter is posted online on the first school day of each month that we are in session. Dates and upcoming events are listed in the newsletter and posted on our website. For those parents who are subscribed to SwiftK12, an email message is sent to parents when the newsletter has been posted. The newsletter can be accessed on our school website:

https://www.ecsd.net/schools/1967/News/Pages/default.aspx

Please feel free to contact the school if you require clarification about anything.

Attend school events such as our Meet the Staff Evening, religious celebrations and masses, student-led conferences, music concerts and cultural events when they take place. If your child is on the sports teams, be a fan.

We look forward to an excellent year with your children!

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My Child’s Learning

Alberta Education publishes My Child’s Learning as a means of providing parents with an in-depth look at the subjects and programs available from kindergarten to senior high school. Click on the “Customize My Printout” button to access information about Catholic education.

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Report Cards

This year, we will once again concentrate on increased ongoing assessment as well as an emphasis on communicating and understanding key learner outcomes and the criteria for success to support next steps in learning. There will be two report cards – the first in January and the second in June. Student-led conferences will take place in November and March, and discussion will focus on student achievement with evidence of learning from their e-portfolios. In our junior high, teachers will be able to enter marks and comments for each assessment directly into the PowerSchool gradebook. For parents, this is like having access to a student report card at any point in time. Teachers will follow up via email with parents who do not attend student led conferences, as this communication is very important for student success.

Student-led conferences and report cards for this school year are scheduled for:

Student Led Conferences: November 22, 2018

First Report Card: January 25, 2019

Student Led Conferences: March 14, 2019

Final Report Card: June 28, 2019

If you wish to discuss your child’s progress or marks, please feel free to call or email the school. Parents of junior high students may access their child’s grades at any time using PowerSchool.

Report cards are available online to parents/guardians via the PowerSchool parent portal. Parents who are new to ECSD will be provided with their own PowerSchool passcode which will allow them to view the report card online. PowerSchool not only gives parents access to their child’s report card, but also access to other school and classroom information. PowerSchool passcodes for those parents who have not yet created a PowerSchool account will be sent home later this month, so please watch for them. PowerSchool accounts remain in effect from year to year, so parents only need to create an account once.

Parents/guardians who do not have internet access and would like to receive a paper copy of their child’s report card are asked to send a written request to the school office. Parents are also welcome to use a computer in the Learning Commons at any time for school-related use such as placing hot lunch orders, online payments, or viewing PowerSchool information.

As always, if you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact the school office and we will be happy to assist you.

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Textbooks

Most textbooks used at Bishop David Motiuk are digital and are accessed by students through their Chromebooks. Print resources are bar-coded and are issued to students as needed. This allows us to keep track of books issued to students. The condition of print resources is also monitored. Students are responsible for any print resources issued to them. Since replacement costs for some print resources are over $100.00, students are urged to take very good care of them.

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Safety Drills

In general, we will be practicing our fire drills in the Fall and Spring. We will practice lockdown and shelter in place procedures in the winter months. These valuable exercises are required so that the staff and students are aware of what the procedures are should one of these events occur. For some of these practices, the students will be aware that they will occur. Other practices will be surprise events. In all cases, the office will make an announcement following the practice.

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Visitors and Volunteers

For the safety of our students, the doors to the school remain locked during the school day. In keeping with our district Occupational Health and Safety requirements, all visitors and volunteers must report to the office, review the safety guidelines for the school, sign in, and receive a visitor’s badge. Everyone must sign out in the office as well.

Bishop David Motiuk, like all schools in ECSD, complies with our district-wide volunteer administrative procedures. Some of the key points in the procedures include:

1. All volunteers shall be required to complete a “Volunteer Registration Form” annually and prior to commencing any volunteer activities in the school.

2. All volunteers who are to be assisting with school activities on any given day shall register at the school office at the beginning of each day. School staff shall be instructed that a volunteer register or log shall be kept and made available to the school principal at all times. The volunteer register shall contain legible names of the volunteers and their expected location or classroom assignment during the course of their duties during the day.

3. While engaged in volunteer activities, all volunteers shall wear appropriate identification.

In keeping with district policy, we will be asking all parents who have not yet done so to complete the volunteer registration form. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Note: any parents or community members who are supervising children in situations where a staff member is not present, such as coaching a sports team, must have a criminal record check and a child welfare check on file with the school. Police Information Checks and/or Intervention Record Checks may also be required at the sole discretion of the Principal, the Assistant Superintendent, District Operations and Information and Infrastructure Technology Services, School Operations Services and/or the Superintendent in any circumstances where it is deemed appropriate.

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Updating Registration Information

Copies of the registration information we have on file are sent home early in the school year. Parents are asked to check this information over carefully, make any necessary changes and return the forms to the school. We also ask that parents of students who are of First Nations, Metis or Inuit descent identify this on the registration forms. In some cases, this enables us to access additional support for students. It is extremely important that we have accurate information regarding our students in the event of an emergency. Parents and students using Chromebooks and/or other personal computing devices at school must also sign the Bishop David Motiuk Student-Owned Devices Policy.

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Hot Lunch Program

Bishop David Motiuk uses Healthy Hunger as our hot lunch organizing service. Hot lunches are offered for students on Tuesdays and Fridays. Our hot lunch providers include Mr. Sub, Booster Juice, Press’d, Panago, Mucho Burrito, Boston Pizza and others. Because our vendors require advance notice, lunch orders must be placed in advance. Once parents sign up for the service, they will receive email notices when new lunch dates are added. Orders are placed and paid for online. The school does not collect money for lunches. Changes to orders, including cancellations, may be made up to five days prior to the hot lunch date. After that time, no changes may be made. If a student is absent or ill on hot lunch day, parents may call the school to make arrangements for pick-up if they wish. Otherwise, the lunch will be donated to someone else. Parents who do not have access to a computer are welcome to use a school computer.

To create an online account and to view an informative video about the service, please visit the Healthy Hunger website.

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BREAKING NEWS

Playground Update

A huge thank you goes out to Tony Yung, Liz Gilchrist, Maroro Zinyemba, and the Lewis Estates Community League Playground Committee for their efforts over the past several years to make our playground a reality. The playground committee attended countless meetings and worked tirelessly to raise funds and pursue grants for our playground. The playground is now under construction! We expect the playground to be completed sometime in October. In the meantime, although we know it is hard to resist, students are asked to stay away from the fence that surrounds the playground. We are looking forward to being able to use our beautiful new playground!

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Modular Classroom Delays

If you have driven by our school over the past while, you will have noticed that we do not yet have our new modular classrooms in place. Our district administration would like to update you on the expected arrival of our new modular spaces. We have been notified by Alberta Infrastructure that the production of our units has been delayed and that these learning spaces will not be ready for the start of this school year. Rest assured that we will monitor this situation very closely and every effort will be made to ensure that students’ learning remains unaffected by this unfortunate news. We are hesitant to provide a date as to when we can expect to access the new learning spaces as the circumstances of this situation are out of our control. However, as soon as the units are delivered onsite, their quick installation will be our district’s number one priority. Thank you for your understanding.

The classes affected by the delay in delivery of our modular classrooms are Mrs. Nyznyk and Mrs. Szaszkiewicz’s grade three classes as well as Mrs. Loeppky’s grade one class and Mrs. Lepage’s Kindergarten E class. Our grade three classes will be temporarily located in the Learning Commons, Mrs. Loeppky’s grade one class will be in the kindergarten E room, and Kindergarten E will be in the Makerspace.

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Changes to Alberta Immunization Program

Alberta Health has made changes to the school immunization program that will take effect in the 2018/19 school year:

• In the 2018/19 school year, public health nurses will be reviewing the immunization records of all Alberta students from Grades 1 to 9 to assess immunization status. You will be contacted if your children are missing immunization information.

• With your consent, your children can be offered the immunizations they are missing at school. You will continue to have the final decision on immunizing your children.

• In 2019/20, Alberta is moving from a three-dose vaccine schedule in Grade 5 to a two-dose vaccine schedule in Grade 6 for both Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Administering two doses at least six months apart has been shown to provide children with good protection against these diseases. This will reduce the number of injections children receive.

• The Grade 9 school immunization program including the diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (dTap) and Meningococcal (MenC-ACYW) vaccines will continue to be offered without change.

• Alberta Health Services, Public Health will work closely with schools and school authorities to ensure that immunization does not interfere with students taking the Provincial Achievement Tests.

• Alberta Health encourages parents to immunize their children against HPV and HBV. Vaccines are safe, effective, and protect our children and communities from disease.

COMMUNICATION

PowerSchool/Swift K12

Parents at Bishop David Motiuk are encouraged to use PowerSchool to monitor their child(ren)’s progress at school. For junior high parents, PowerSchool enables them to monitor attendance on a class-by-class basis, find out what homework assignments will be, confirm that students have submitted homework or assignments and view their child’s grades as they exist in the teacher’s gradebook at any given time. PowerSchool also allows parents to register to receive alert notifications, review daily comments from teachers and much more. For elementary parents, PowerSchool allows them to sign up for alert notifications and attendance information.

PowerSchool is also the vehicle used for payment of school fees, field trips and purchases such as Chromebooks.

We are in the process of registering new families for PowerSchool.

Note: PARENTS MUST HAVE A POWERSCHOOL ACCOUNT TO ACCESS STUDENT REPORT CARDS AND PAY SCHOOL FEES.

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School Website

A great deal of information is posted to our school website. Please check the website frequently for updates with regard to news and school events, calendar dates, activities, district events and school council updates.

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School Emergencies

In the Edmonton Catholic School District, the safety of our students is always our first priority and students are well supervised when they are on school property. When situations occur that warrant emergency procedures to ensure the safety of all students, we will provide parents with accurate and up to date information. One way to keep parents informed about an emergency and the safety procedures that have been put into place is by posting the information on the school website. Information will be posted and updated as required when a school is experiencing an emergency.

If there is an emergency situation at the school where your child(ren) attend, check the school website to stay informed and receive timely information. We also need to keep phone lines available at the school during an emergency, so we ask that you do not call the school. This will enable staff at the school to keep in touch with emergency providers and District personnel.

Thank you for your support and help in ensuring our students remain safe.

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School Handbook

Bishop David Motiuk publishes a School Handbook that provides a great deal of information for parents and students about our school and the practices and procedures we have in place. The Handbook is posted on our website:

Bishop David Motiuk School Handbook

Please take some time to review the information in our Handbook.

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TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC SAFETY

Bus Passes/Yellow Busses

in 2017, the Government of Alberta eliminated transportation fees for some students riding the yellow school bus and subsidized the cost for some students who ride an ETS bus. Students residing within 2.4 kilometers of the school who ride the yellow school bus still pay for bus passes. For information about which students qualify for free bus passes, along with pricing information for those who do not qualify, please see the information posted online:

Transportation Fees

Bus passes will be issued through the office in the first week of the month. Bus pass fees for those who do not qualify for free bussing are added to PowerSchool so that payment is convenient for parents.

Students are reminded to take good care of their bus passes, particularly since they are charged the full replacement cost if they lose them. For ETS bus passes, replacement passes are $73.00 for elementary students and $75.00 for junior high students. Replacement costs for yellow bus passes are $5.00 for both elementary and junior high students.

Students who take either the ETS or the yellow school busses are expected to behave in a manner acceptable to the bus driver. Riding these busses is not a right. It is a service provided by Edmonton Transit or by the school district. Students who misbehave on the busses could be asked to find alternate transportation to school.

Note: Video surveillance cameras were put onto yellow school busses throughout the school district in 2002.

The Edmonton Transit System allows the holder of an ETS bus pass to utilize Edmonton Transit any time throughout the

week, including weekends.

SCHOOL START-UP – SEPTEMBER 2018

The following safety measures are in place for all Edmonton Catholic Schools yellow bus routes:

Code RED – All carriers have agreed to implement a code red system that requires dispatch to answer a Code RED call from a bus driver as a priority. Code RED is defined as, “any time a situation arises and a driver’s ability to safely drive is compromised.

Oversize Items – Oversize items on a school bus can become a safety hazard if the bus has to stop suddenly or is involved in a collision. To ensure student safety, the district has implemented the following guidelines:

Maximum size limit for large items: 13” wide x 13” deep x 30” high or 33cm wide x 33cm deep x 76cm high

Guidelines:

1. The item must be in a backpack, closed bag or carrying case.

2. The item must fit on the child’s lap or between their legs on the floor of the school bus.

3. Items placed on the floor must not extend past the child’s chest area.

4. Items cannot block aisles or emergency exits.

Notices – Information on oversize items is on large easy-to-read stickers that are clearly displayed on yellow school buses. Bus drivers will also retain a copy of these guidelines on the bus and the information has been posted on the district website.

Drivers have been instructed that they cannot refuse transportation to a child even if the child shows up at the bus stop with an oversize item that exceeds the maximum limits. In this situation, drivers will stow the item as safely as possible. Once the bus arrives at the school, the driver will advise the school supervisor that the student has an oversize item and remind the school that the driver will not allow the oversize item back on the bus. The school must make arrangements with parents to transport the oversize item.

Driver Expectations – Edmonton Catholic Schools’ transportation staff attended orientation sessions for yellow bus drivers where they presented information on these new guidelines as well as outlined driver expectations. Driver expectations include:

Develop seating plans and assign students to specific seats.

Follow the route as designed - no courtesy stops.

Complete child check to ensure that children are not left sleeping on the bus, and

A reminder that kindergarten and grade 1 students are to be met at their stop by a parent or guardian. (in schools where transportation for elementary students is provided)

Camera Surveillance Equipment

Edmonton Catholic Schools operates video surveillance equipment in approximately 45% of our bus routes. The equipment will be assigned to longer bus routes and bus routes that have had a history of issues. If, at any time throughout the year, principals want a particular bus route to have video surveillance equipment, they may contact Transportation Services and arrangements can be made to have the video surveillance equipment available for that route.

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Student Pick Ups and Drop Offs

Traffic in and around the school building is very congested first thing in the morning and again after school. Many parents choose to drive their children to school. The area between the wrought iron fences is set aside for parent parking and drop-offs. A limited number of guest parking stalls are available for parent use. These stalls are located along the east fence in the parking area directly in front of the school. Parents who are dropping off students are asked to pull to the front of the lane, then “stop, drop and go” in order to keep traffic moving. Traffic in the school parking lot is one-way, with vehicles entering at the north entrance and exiting at the south entrance. Parents who wish to watch their children enter the school are asked to park and to walk and wait with their children. Parents must not park or leave their vehicles in the drop off lane. Students will enter the school through their designated doors. In general, only students with medical needs enter through the front doors.

The staff parking lot is full and we have just enough stalls to accommodate all of our staff members. Parents are asked to refrain from entering the staff parking lot.

Yellow school busses drop students off directly in front of the school. Parents are asked to refrain from entering the bus lanes. There is no parking in the student drop off lanes or the school bus lanes between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday. On Thursday, there is no parking in these areas between the hours of 8:00 AM and 12:30 PM. Whenever possible, parents are asked to turn right when exiting the parking lot in order to keep traffic moving smoothly in the neighbourhood.

All entry doors to the school are locked at 8:50 AM. Students arriving after 8:50 are asked to go to the front door of the school and ring the buzzer for entry. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us to keep our students safe.

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Safety Patrols

Our new and eager grade six crew of AMA safety patrollers will soon be ready to go! Our patrollers use the point, pause, and proceed technique. This technique models what every pedestrian should do when crossing the street and is a much simpler procedure for school patrollers.

The primary role of AMA School Safety Patrollers is to assist younger students to cross the street — not to direct traffic. Patrollers will now extend their arm to indicate pedestrians want to cross the street and will only extend their stop sign when it is safe to cross their fellow classmates. It would be greatly appreciated if parents could assist our patrollers by exercising extreme caution when approaching the intersections in front of the school.

Thank you for your cooperation. Let’s make this a safe and successful year for our children!

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Slow Down for School Zones

At Edmonton Catholic Schools, the health and safety of students is always our first priority! School zones are in effect around elementary and junior high schools throughout Edmonton. Motorists are required by law to slow down to 30 km/h between 8:00am and 4:30pm on school days where school zone signs are posted. Please slow down and ensure the safety of students near elementary schools.

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SCHOOL FEES AND PURCHASING INFORMATION

School Fees

School fees are now due. School fees are directed toward consumable items for students including supplies for junior high complementary courses such as foods, woodworking or art, and activities such as dances. Music students have an additional charge for mouthpieces/reeds. Every effort has been made to keep school fees as reasonable as possible.

We recognize that payment of fees in September can be difficult, especially for those parents who have a number of children returning to school. We happily accept Visa and Mastercard for payment of school fees. Fees may be paid online through PowerSchool. Parents who are unfamiliar with making payments through PowerSchool are invited to contact our school office for assistance.

School fees have been posted to our website:

https://www.ecsd.net/schools/1967/school_information/Pages/School-Fees.aspxortation-Fees.aspx

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Chromebook Purchases

Chromebook purchase prices have been added into PowerSchool for students in grades four – nine who indicated in June that they wished to purchase one through the school. Chromebooks will be issued to students once payments have been received. Please note - parents who choose to split the purchase price of Chromebooks into two or more payments must sign the ECSD Chromebook Leasing Agreement before the Chromebook will be issued to the student. Parents who wish us to place an order for a Chromebook in September are asked to contact the school office.

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BDM Spirit Wear

Our Bishop David Motiuk Spirit Wear will soon be available for purchase for those who are interested. Information regarding the storefront will be sent out as soon as it becomes available. The deadline for orders is Friday, September 28.

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Property Taxes

All property owners are encouraged to examine their Tax Notice to ensure that their support is assigned to Edmonton Catholic Schools. If you own a business or are in a business partnership, please check to see that your taxes are being allocated to our district (partial allocations can also be designated). If there is an error, please contact the City of Edmonton using their 311 number or through email: taxinquiry@edmonton.ca

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POLICIES, PROTOCOLS AND PROCEDURES

School Policies and Operating Procedures

School policies at Bishop David Motiuk are printed in our School Handbook. Policies are reviewed and discussed on an annual basis with the School Council. Please take some time to review and familiarize yourselves with our school policies and operating procedures.

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Protocol for Parent Concerns

Edmonton Catholic Schools recognizes the freedom of all members of the school community (students, staff, parents and neighbours) to voice their concerns in an appropriate manner to the appropriate school personnel. The principle of “first contact” needs to be followed. This means that the person(s) who have the concern, have the responsibility to begin addressing the concern directly with those persons with whom they have the concern before taking their concern elsewhere. Parents who contact school administration prior to speaking with the persons with whom they have a concern will be directed to that person first.

If resolution is not found, please then involve school administration and School Operations Services (SOS) as needed.

All parties will deal with concerns in a manner that is consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

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Personal Property/Electronic Devices

Students are responsible for all personal property, including electronic devices. All personal items should be clearly marked with the student’s name. This makes it much easier to return items to students if they are misplaced and reduces the number of items collected - and often not claimed - in our Lost and Found bins. Students should never leave money and valuables unattended. The school cannot be responsible for damage or loss and we do not investigate in the event that these items go missing.

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Vacations/Extended Absences

21st century classrooms are dynamic learning environments that are fluid and constantly changing. Work assigned is often project-based and is designed to promote critical thinking and a deeper level of student engagement. Worksheets and paper packages of student work are increasingly rare in today’s classrooms, since research shows that they do little to promote higher level thinking skills or achievement. Because our learning environments are so dynamic, it can be very difficult for teachers to put together packages for students who will be away for an extended period of time. Consequently, we recommend that families avoid booking vacation time during the school year. If that is not possible, or if a student must be away for truly important events or family emergencies, then parents are asked to contact the teacher to find out what general topics of study will be examined while the student is away. The student will be expected to read applicable textbook chapters and monitor work and material being posted to Google classrooms, with the understanding that the student will likely have work to make up when he or she returns to school.

It is the responsibility of the student to see each of his or her teachers to find out what work was missed during an absence and to complete all missed work, assignments and/or exams.

Note: Students who are habitually late or absent may be reported to the Attendance Board.

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Illness and Recess

Normally, children who are too ill to go outside for recess are too ill to be at school. This is particularly true in cases of severe colds, infections and headaches. With severe colds, children are unable to function well at school. In addition, they provide a source of infection for other children and would recuperate faster if kept at home.

Parents are asked to ensure their child’s teacher is made aware of any unique medical situations.

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Closed Campus

Bishop David Motiuk School has a closed campus for students over the noon hour. We are concerned with the safety of our students during the school day and it is difficult to properly supervise them if they leave the school grounds. As well, the allotted time for students between morning and afternoon classes is short and unless your son or daughter lives very close to the school, he or she would not have time to get home and return to school for afternoon classes. A few reminders for parents:

1. For those who live within easy walking distance of the school, permission for your son/daughter to go home at lunch must be in writing and on file in the school office.

2. Please do not send notes giving your child(ren) permission to leave the school grounds to go to the nearby shopping centers or to another student’s home at lunch time. They will not be honored.

3. Parents who wish to take their children out for lunch must come to the school office and sign their children out.

There will be a variety of activities for students to take part in over the noon hour once the cold weather sets in.

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Elementary Boomerang Lunch

Do you know what your child is really eating for lunch? The amount of food waste generated over one lunch hour at school is truly staggering! Children often throw items that they do not like away. As well, organic waste, such as apple cores and banana peels, can attract stinging insects, which can pose a danger to children. At Bishop David Motiuk, we feel it is important that parents of elementary students be aware of what their children are actually eating at lunch time and we would like to reduce waste in our school. In an effort to cut down on food waste, we will be asking students to pack uneaten food items, recyclables and waste back in their lunch boxes to be disposed of at home. To facilitate this, students are asked to pack their lunches in sealed containers so uneaten food can be sent home in the same container. This not only reduces waste at school, it also helps us in that we have no place to rinse or store recyclable containers. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

Students are asked NOT to bring microwaveable items to school since students do not have access to microwave ovens at lunch time. Thank you!

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Allergy Aware Policy

We have a number of students with life-threatening allergies to peanuts and nut products at our school. In some cases, these allergies are so severe that just a trace of or even the smell of peanuts or nut products can send the child into anaphylactic shock. If this happens, the child’s throat tightens and swells and he or she may stop breathing. This type of severe allergic reaction can be fatal. The following website has a great deal of helpful information regarding anaphylaxis: http://www.anaphylaxis.org.

We strive to keep each of our students safe during the school day. Even though your child may not be in the same class as one of our severely allergic children, there is still the possibility of cross-contamination. If, for example, a child has a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, then uses a school computer after lunch, he or she might unknowingly leave trace amounts of peanut butter on the keyboard. If a severely allergic child used the keyboard during the next class, he or she could have a severe allergic reaction. Although we cannot absolutely guarantee that students will not come into contact with nut products, we do wish to limit the chances of such an occurrence. Please help us by checking the labels, packages and ingredients of all foods your children bring to school. Please don’t let your child bring any foods to school that contain even a trace amount of peanuts or nuts. We truly appreciate your cooperation and help in this important matter.

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Medical Alerts

Upon occasion, parents request that staff members administer medication to students who are not sufficiently mature or reliable enough to care for their own needs. In order to administer medication to a student, we require a “Request for Administration of Medication/Medical Treatment Form” be completed and on file in the office. A copy of this form may be obtained from the school office. It is the parents’ responsibility to keep us informed of medical conditions and to provide correct information regarding treatment and emergency contact information.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Soccer Season Begins

Soccer tryouts will be underway right away. Our soccer season begins in the fall for a number of reasons, the most important of which are rain and poor field conditions in the Spring, which could result in games having to be rescheduled and a possible shortened season. Students are welcome to come and try out for either the boys or girls’ soccer teams. In early September, students need to pay close attention to announcements for exact times and dates.

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School Council AGM

The School Council is a collective association of parents, teachers, principal, staff and community representative(s) whose purpose is to advise the principal and the board respecting matters relating to the school. It is a means for parents and community members to work together with the school to support and enhance student learning.

The primary role of school council members is to work together with school personnel to create a strong learning environment, within the context of our Catholic identity, for all students enrolled in the school. School council members typically advise the principal on areas such as school planning, budgeting, school fees, communications, community relations, programming, and the School Plan for Continuous Growth.

Parents who would like to be more involved in their child’s education and in the decision-making process at the school are invited to attend the School Council meetings.

The first School Council meeting of the year, which is also our Annual General Meeting, will be held on Wednesday, September 12 at 6:00 PM in our Learning Commons. At this time, in accordance with our School Council

Operating Procedures, Executive members of the School Council must be elected or re-elected on an annual basis. Consequently, elections for the following positions will be held at the Annual General Meeting:

1. Chair

2. Vice- Chair

3. Secretary

4. Communications Officer

At the AGM, we will also be seeking to elect one Director at Large who will serve as grade representative for grades five and six. Subsequent meeting dates will be determined by the School Council at the first meeting. Typically, the School Council meets every other month, with meetings in September, November, January, March, and May. The School Council Operating Procedures are posted to the School Council page of our website.

The current School Council Executive is:

Chair: Luis Dominguez

Vice Chair: Benjamin Ofori

Secretary: Vacant

Communications Officer: Angela Yung

Directors at Large/Grade Representatives are:

100 Voices/Kindergarten: Marianna Tsenekos

Grade 1: April Bernath

Grade 2: Dwayne Vodden

Grades 3 & 4: Melissa Arenas

Grades 5 & 6: Vacant

Junior High: Aman Rana

Note: The establishment meeting for our school’s Fundraising Association (LF Catholic School Fundraising Association) was held in June 2018. At this time, the following Executive members were elected:

Chair: Jennalea Krawchuk

Vice Chair: April Bernath

Secretary: Vacant

Treasurer: Richard Carr

Casino Chairperson: Angela Yung

We will be seeking to fill the vacant Secretary position at the School Council Annual General Meeting. The next Annual General Meeting for the Fundraising Association will be held in the fall of 2019.

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BDM Marafun

"Fitness is not about being better than someone else. It is about being better than YOU used to be."

-Gordon Slanquit

Introducing our very first Motiuk MarAfun! BDM is happy to introduce a fun way to get our school community moving. On the morning of September 19, staff and students will participate in a walk/run event around our beautiful community. This event will encourage everyone to become risk takers, one step at a time, while gaining an appreciation for their own health and well being. BDM will continue to encourage our students to become life long learners and take responsibility for setting goals and putting their passion into practice.

As they finish the race, students will get freezies and will enjoy outdoor music. Three food trucks, Fat Franks, So Cal Smoothies and the New Deli, will be on-site for students who wish to purchase lunch as they finish the race.

We are looking forward to a wonderful day!

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Meet the Staff Evening

Parents, please mark your calendars and plan to join us for our annual Meet the Staff Evening on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00 pm. This event will not only give you a chance to meet Bishop David, our staff and your child(ren)’s teachers, you will also learn about our programs, activities and goals for the upcoming school year.

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School Opening Celebration

Bishop David Motiuk School will mark the beginning of the school year with our school opening celebration on Thursday, September 20. We are very pleased to be able to have Bishop David Motiuk celebrate with us! Our celebration will begin at 9:00 AM. Parents are more than welcome to join us for our religious celebrations.

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School Picture Day

We will be using Lifetouch for our school pictures again this year. School pictures will be taken on Friday, September 28. Please mark your calendars! Pre-payment envelopes with additional information on packages and prices will be sent home once we receive them. Students must bring the pre-payment envelope with them on Photo Day. This envelope will be given directly to the photographer.

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Indigo Adopt-A-School

We’re thrilled to announce that our school is taking part in the 2018 online Adopt a School program! From September 15 to October 7, our school will be working to raise funds in support of our library.

100% of all online donations directed to our school will go towards supporting our students and school library! However, our school has not been adopted by an Indigo, Chapters or Coles store this year, so donations made in-store will not go to our school.

There are three ways that you can support our school during Adopt a School:

1. Book Bonus: For every two books you donate to our school online, the Love of Reading Foundation will donate a bonus book, up to 100 books!*

2. Tell a Story, Give a Story: Every time you post a story to our Adopt a School profile, the Love of Reading Foundation will donate one book in support of our school library, up to 20 books!

3. Adopt a School Story Contest: “Heart” your favourite story to help us win big! The five most-loved stories in each province will be entered into a random draw for a chance to win* a grand prize of a $2,500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase books! The remaining four top “hearted” schools in each province will win a $500 Indigo eGiftcard to purchase books.

Our school is going to receive every dollar raised to support our library and a 30% discount off books when we shop at Indigo, Chapters and Coles using program donations.

Please visit adoptaschool.indigo.ca from September 15 to October 7 to show your support for our library! We look forward to surprising the staff and children at Bishop David Motiuk with all the new library books this year!

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Bishop David Motiuk Catholic Elementary and Junior High School

855 Lewis Greens Drive NW | Edmonton, AB | T5T 4B2

Phone: 780-409-2603 | Email: 1967web@ecsd.net