All Saints Catholic School 2180 Woodrow Lloyd Place Swift Current, SK S9H 5R2 Phone: 306-773-2460 Fax: 306-773-7361 All Saints Catholic Newsletter May 22, 2014 “See, the former things have taken place, and I'm announcing the new things— before they spring into being I'm telling you about them." Isaiah 42:9 ISV It is an honour to be the first principal of All Saints Catholic School. It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I work to prepare All Saints Catholic for students and staff. Time is passing quickly and before we know it, it will be time to grace the halls of our new school with the anticipation and eagerness of learning that ushers in every school year. With the end of this school year fast approaching I am taking this opportunity to share with you the progress of the construction, the preparations under way for a successful transition and important dates to mark on your calendar over the next month. The facility itself is without a doubt a 21st Century School encompassing creativity and ingenuity to create a positive learning environment for students. It represents the natural light, open spaces, bright colours and soft lines found in nature that students asked for. It is unique and functional with areas designed to meet the needs of students, areas to share learning with others while sparking imagination and areas that celebrate our faith. Throughout the school you will feel the presence of Christ as our faith is woven throughout the tapestry of the learning streets, the classrooms and the piazza. If you have not yet visited the online pictorial diary of the construction as it has progressed over the past three years, please take time to check it out at www.htcsd.ca. Click on ‘All Saints Catholic and Ecole Centennial Schools Project’. Scroll down to All Saints Catholic and Ecole Centennial School Pictorial Update listed by date and have a peek at our new school from its inception to its current state. It is not just the destination it is the journey and the journey is well documented here. Take a look, you will be glad you did!! Our new school is currently a construction site and will be until early July which limits our access. Although we will not be able to tour the school before the first day of school in the fall there are many other things we can do in preparation for our move into the new school. The afternoons of June 2 and June 13 will be opportunities for the students to gather with their teacher for next year and fellow students also in that classroom. The afternoon will be a time to get to know one another a little, create name tags to be hung in the new school to greet them when they get there in the fall, a chance to see pictures of All Saints Catholic including their new classroom and to build community through games, fun and laughter. It is a great beginning and I look forward to serving you and your children as principal of All Saints Catholic School. God Bless! Lenzena Zanidean Principal of All Saints Catholic A Message from the Vice Principals I am pleased to be continuing in an administrative role as one of the vice-principals at All Saints Catholic School. We are so very fortunate to be able to move into a new facility in the fall and continue to grow our relationships with students, staff and families in our community. We are also pleased to be able to connect with Christ the Redeemer Parish. Working together with our church will help us to continue to provide strong Catholic Education to our students. What excites me most as we move into All Saints Catholic, are the new learning opportunities that will emerge from a research-based classroom that will contain the most updated technology and a flexible learning environment (i.e. chairs, desks, open garage door learning concept, etc.). The possibilities for student and staff creativity will be endless. I look forward to working with parents and families to assist our children in becoming the best they can be. Troy Froehlich Vice Principal of All Saints Catholic Imagine a 21st century school unlike any other school that you have ever experienced; a school structured to encourage curiosity and imagination. Envision a futuristic school; a hub of learning with amazing multi-use spaces, an outdoor classroom, and ultra-modern learning streets and classrooms constructed to enhance interactive learning. Visualize engaged learners enthusiastically embarking on intellectual quests, using manipulatives, connecting with information on digital devices, in books and learning centers guided by teachers who co-create the learning. That dream for the future is now a reality. We, at All Saints Catholic School, are the new face of education; guardians of our faith and guardians of the students in their pursuit of values, skills and knowledge to prepare for the future. The physical environment of our new school has been created to support a culture of inclusion, inquiry, collaboration and creative expression all underpinned by a foundation of core Christian values. All aspects of this building have been designed to facilitate best practice as identified in current research and developments in education. We are poised on the brink of an incredibly exciting fundamental shift in how structural design can enhance educational opportunities, and I am thrilled to be a part of it. It is our coming of age in education; a time for optimal growth for students and teachers alike. I look forward to working with and serving you within our community of learners as we strive to achieve great things together in the pursuit of our goals and the advancement of learning and achievement within a faith-filled community. Janice Meyer Vice Principal of All Saints Catholic All Saints Catholic Parent Information Night Wednesday, June 4 7:00 pm St. Patrick School Gym Come join All Saints Catholic Admin team for an evening of sharing and discussion. We will share information on: bussing, teaching staff, playgrounds, what the first day of school will look like, schedules, security, parking, registration, tours and transition plans as well as taking you on a picture walk through the facility using the most recent photos. It will be an informative, exciting night of sharing and discussion. Teaching assignments have been determined and are as follows: Principal- Lenzena Zanidean Vice-Principals- Troy Froehlich and Janice Meyer Homeroom Teachers: PreKindergarten- Kaitlin Basler Kindergarten- Jacqueline Siemens Grade 1- Brooklyn Krause, Sandra Ziegler Grade 2- Seema Parmar, Carissa Yeomans Grade 3- Kelsey Dickie, Nicole Jacobson Grade 4- Collette Andree, Heather Elder Grade 5- Ron Cronan, Gaylene Little Grade 6- Maureen Hapke, Jason Sommerfeld Grade 7- Jana Coward, Devin Gehl Grade 8- Dave Markewich, Casey Yeomans Support Teachers: French- Sarah Demeis, Michelle Kouri SST- Suzie Berg, Lois Fiddler LLI- Annette Klevgaard EAL/ICE- Michele Vallee General- Troy Froehlich, Barb McCrie, Janice Meyer, Jelienne Unger We would like to welcome Kaitlin Basler, Jason Sommerfeld and Jelienne Unger to All Saints Catholic. We look forward to working with them. Students and parents will be delighted to have these teachers working with them. Welcome back to Kelsey Dickie and Heather Elder who are returning from maternity leave. We are pleased to have you back on staff and look forward to this exciting year. Upcoming Dates: May 29- Kindergarten Parent Orientation at St. Pat’s June 2 – ASC Student Gathering by grade with All Saints Catholic Teacher June 9 – No School for Students June 12- Closing Mass at Christ the Redeemer June 13- ASC Student Gathering in the afternoon at Southside Park June 19- St. Joe’s Farewll Celebration June 23- St. Pat’s Farewell Celebration June 24- Last Day of Classes for Students September 3- First Day of School at All Saints Catholic!!! All Saints Catholic Q&A for Parents 1. How will bussing work? Will kids from both schools ride the same bus? Busses will begin to pick up students at 8:00. All students will be at school by 8:25 am. Ecole Centnennial students and All Saints Catholic students will be riding the bus together. This is in place to lessen the Carbon footprint of the new facility. A bus loop separate from other traffic will allow for safe boarding and unboarding of students. 2. Will the playgrounds be done before the start of the school year? Playgrounds will be in place for the beginning of the school year. They are being installed in May. Landscaping will be done once the structures are in place. 3. Will both schools be on the same schedule for recess? Will they have their own designated play areas? All Saints Catholic and Ecole Centennial schools will not have recess at the same time nor will they have noon hour recess at the same time. Each school has their own designated play areas. 4. How will my children know where to go the first day of school? Will there be helpers there to take them to their homeroom? Will the kids get tours on the first day of school? There will be ample supervisors/helpers to greet the children when the busses arrive and escort them into the school to get them where they need to be. The students will be a given a tour of the school. 5. Will there be some sort of system in place that identifies kids and teachers from each school? A system has been put in place to identify students from each school. Teachers and school staff will also be easily identified. 6. Will there be times set up for parents to tour the school as well? Opportunities for parents to tour the school will be put in place but will most likely be in September after school has started. 7. Registration procedure Students currently registered at St. Patrick School and St. Joseph School are automatically registered at All Saints Catholic. Those children not currently attending either of those schools can pick up a registration at either school. Mrs. Zanidean, the principal of All Saints Catholic, will determine if the registration is accepted or not. 8. Need for a meeting at parents' level A parent meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00 pm at St. Patrick School in the gymnasium.