St. Francis Weekly Email Jan 8-12

​Dear St. Francis of Assisi students and families,
 
Welcome back and blessings for the new year!! We hope that the break provided your family with some much-needed downtime and a chance to reconnect with loved ones.
 
Prayer
God of all heaven and earth,
From the breath of your love came the creation of the world.
We are amazed at the vast beauty of the night sky and at the intimate nature of the love you have for us your children.
Be our daily star,
Guiding our lives to search for kingdom love.
May we always follow your light of truth in all that we do,
Forever trusting, hoping and believing in your word.
Lift our eyes tonight to see your eternal life shining brightly,
Leading us home.
Amen.
 
Liturgy – Epiphany
This liturgy will take place in class on January 8th. Students will take part in the traditional classroom blessing of chalking the door that is done each year on the Solemnity of the Epiphany.
 
SWIS Weekly School Visit
A reminder that SWIS services will resume on January 22, 2024. If any students require assistance or study space during exam week, the MCY Youth Centre will be open. They are located at 4141D - 4th Avenue.
 
Schedules
Second semester schedules will go out to students on Friday. Course changes can be made until January 26th.
 
Jan 4
Last week an email was sent to all families regarding charges that were filed against a former teacher-on-call. This person last worked at St. Francis in the fall of 2020. If you have any concerns, please contact us at [email protected] and we will try our best to help. If you need any supports, see the following link.
 
Counselling Department Update
We welcome Jen Moran to the St. Francis team! Jen will be available to students for academic and personal counselling three days each week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
 
Parenting Sessions
In collaboration with the Family Resource Unit, sessions will be held in the St. Francis Learning Commons. These sessions are for parents of teens, and will cover topics such as:

• Reducing Family Conflict
• Building Teenagers Survival Skills
• Coping with Teenagers Emotions
• Getting Teenagers to Cooperate.

The first promotional poster can be seen here. Snacks will be provided.
 
Upcoming Dates

• January 15 to 18 – Exam Week – schedule posted here.
• Friday January 19 – PD Day - No School for students
• Monday January 22 – First Day of Semester Two
• Wednesday January 24 – PLC
• January 22 to 26 – BC Literacy and Numeracy Exams

 
Attendance Procedures

• Attendance in classes is the biggest contributor to student success and we take attendance tracking seriously. It is the responsibility of all Parent/Guardians to inform the office of all excused absences from school. The office will call home for unexcused students missing first block. Automated phone calls are generated to call home for any unexcused absences after the school day has finished.
• Please inform the office of any absences by calling 667-5901 and speaking with any office staff, if you call after school hours you can leave a voicemail. Or, if it is more convenient, please feel free to email us at [email protected]

 
Please do not hesitate to call the school at 667-5901 if you have any questions or concerns.
 
Blessings,
The St. Francis of Assisi Admin Team,
Alethea Wallace, Principal and Mia Ouellette, Vice-Principal