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St. Edmunds Newsletter – May 2021

Last week our teachers sent home interim reports and as we approach the final two months of the school year we would like to congratulate all our students who have shown improvement in achievement over this past year.  I am grateful for the continued partnership between staff and parents working together to help our children become the best they can be.

During the month of May, we reflect on Our Blessed Mother’s example of faith, courage, perseverance and fortitude.  May God bless all mothers and give us the love and wisdom to raise and guide our families as our Blessed Mother modelled for us.  We will continue to ask her to intercede for us and may we continue to rely on her example of patience, courage, and compassion, especially during these uncertain times. Our grade 3 class will be honouring our Blessed Mother with whole school prayer services at the beginning of each week this month. Thank you to Mrs. Oman and the students for their extra time, effort and reverence in leading the school in prayer.

Lastly, on behalf of Fr. Steny, Fr. Cannio and our staff, we would also like to take this opportunity to wish all mothers a wonderful Mother’s Day on May 9th.

“Walking with Hope” Walk-a-thon (May 22-24)

As we had to postpone our fall walkathon, we are excited to announce that the St. Ed’s Walkathon will take place this May.  Though it takes a different form this year, we are looking forward to keeping this annual event going. We are looking forward to continuing to promote physical fitness and raise funds to enhance our technology programs. We are calling on you, our parents, to play an essential role in this year’s Walkathon.  Over the Victoria Day long weekend of May 22-24, we are asking families to go for a 5 – 10 km family walk in support of our Walkathon.  Hard copies of the pledge forms will be sent home next week.

Some important points to note:

  • We’d love you to capture your walk as a family by taking photos and sharing them with our community on our Instagram page.  Email your photo to dsilva@stemunds.ca
  • Please, make your walk happen RAIN or SHINE.
  • You can send the following link for our Walkathon campaign to all your friends and family across North America: St. Edmund’s Spring Walkathon 2021.  Tax receipts are emailed to you immediately for donations greater than $5 (within Canada only). This link will also be found on our school website.

Student Uniforms

Please ensure your child’s uniform meets the established requirements and that items are clean, in good condition and neatly pressed. School shoes are to be solid black with no markings. Hair accessories should be plain navy, black or the school tartan colour.  Colourful hair bows and hairbands with “ears” are reserved for non-uniform dress-down days.

Summer uniform can now be worn.  This is an option to our regular school uniform which can be worn all year.  Boys have the option of wearing dress shorts and intermediate girls have the option of wearing the school skort.  (Please refer to our uniform policy for further information.) Additionally, please remember that our school sweater is still required everyday at school.

Dress-Down Day – “Cinco de Mayo” Wednesday, May 5, 2021

On Wednesday, May 5th, bring a toonie (or more) to school for our dress down day to raise money for people in need within our St Edmund’s community during this difficult time of the pandemic.  Dress in festive brightly colored clothes and celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Thank you to our student council for organizing this charitable event.

Prayers for our School Families and Parishioners

Please continue to pray for all those in our community who are experiencing financial hardship, are ill or are isolated from their families.

We also ask that you continue to pray for Fr. Steny and Fr. Cannio who have us all close to their hearts and are praying for us daily.

Kindergarten Enrollment

We are still accepting applications for Kindergarten.  If you know of families looking for an amazing sense of community and Catholic education, please direct them to our school.

School Safety & Gratitude

I would like to thank all the parents who have answered our call for extra help at our crosswalks!  Your time and effort is much appreciated at morning drop-off and afterschool pick-up.  You are the face to the rest of our community of the wonderful, caring school we have at St. Edmunds!

Morning Drop Off & Afterschool Pick Up Reminders

Our morning and afternoon staggered entry and dismissal times are meant to reduce the number of people gathering in one area.

  • The primary drop-off time begins at 8:30 and primary students are expected to be in class by 8:45 am. The intermediate drop off time begins at 8:45 and intermediate students are expected to be in class by 9:00 am.
  • Primary dismissal is at 2:45 pm and intermediate dismissal is at 3:00 pm.
  • Please adhere to all traffic and parking regulations. (Do not park/stop in the fire zone or crosswalk; no u-turns on Mahon Avenue)
  • A kind reminder to all of our families (particularly on days of good weather) that our students should be picked up and brought to the cars as soon as possible in an effort to ensure minimal social gathering (such as at McEvoy Park) and proper social distancing at pick-up times. A very special thank you to all the parents and grandparents who are wearing masks during the pick-up times. Your cooperation is much appreciated.

COVID-19 Reminders and Provincial Restrictions

Last month, schools were advised by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and our Superintendent’s Office that masks for Students in Grades 4-12 are expected to be worn indoors at school. Kindergarten – Grade 3 Students are encouraged to wear masks but are not expected at this point in time. Please understand that these are ministerial orders and compliance is an expectation. If your child has a medical reason to not wear their masks, please send a note in to your child’s teacher.

With that said, our students have done an amazing job following the safety protocols at school by wearing their masks, practicing good skills such as hand washing, sanitizing, maintaining physical distance, completing the Daily Health Check and staying home when feeling ill. Please remember to adhere to all school guidelines and provincial restrictions that have been put in place. I continue to extend my sincerest gratitude to all our staff for their incredible efforts in maintaining our safety plan.

While provincial numbers remain high, let us be diligent, more than ever before, to ensure we are doing our part to follow protocols both inside and outside of school to keep everyone safe, happy and healthy.

Parish Education Committee (PEC) Elections

At the April 6, 2021 Board of Directors meeting the board passed a resolution moving PEC elections from the last Sunday in May to the last Sunday in September. The change was made due to recent public health restrictions and is consistent with last year. We will send out further information about the nomination and election process in late August/early September, but please do not hesitate to reach out to Fr. Steny, a PEC member or Ms. Silva if you would like to learn more about being a member of the PEC.