Principal: Mr. J. Piechotta
Vice Principal: Ms. S. Nicholson
Asst. Principal: Mr. D. Martin
Secretary: Mrs. K. Miller
Office Asst.: Mrs. B. Eckhard-Burnell
Phone: (403) 500-2085
Fax:
(403) 500-2285
www.cssd.ab.ca/johnpaul2
Message from Administration
The last month of the year is here! June will be very busy with field trips, Grade 6 PAT exams, and many
other events. Please check the calendar for important dates! Play Day will take place on Monday, June 27th. The
plan includes events for the morning, with a special lunch provided by School Council. Parent volunteers are
required, so if you can help us out, we would appreciate it! Please see inside the newsletter for details.
On Wednesday, June 22nd we will have a special year-end liturgy and farewell for our Grade Six students at 11:00
am. We hope you are able to attend.
On that note, we wish a fond farewell to our Grade Six classes! This group of students has contributed in
many ways around our school throughout the year. We hope they will remember all the good lessons learned at St.
John Paul II. We send them forward with many warm blessings, saying, “Continue to nurture all your best
qualities. We wish you, God’s guidance as you move forward in your education. Remember always to respect God,
others, yourselves and the environment. We look forward to hearing positive things about you in the future! God
bless you all.”
Please Note: The last day of school is Tuesday, June 28th. It is a full day of school. Please make
arrangements to have your child picked up at 3:00p.m. Progress reports will be given out on that day. If your
child will not be at school on June 28th, then a self-addressed stamped envelope can be given to your child’s
teacher and the progress report will be mailed to you.
The 2016-2017 school year begins for students on Thursday, September 1st.
On behalf of the staff of St. John Paul II, we would like to wish everyone in our school community a
wonderful and safe summer. We look forward to seeing you back in September! If you are leaving Escuela St.
John Paul II, we wish you safe travels and best wishes wherever you go.
School Motto
Justice … Love … Truth
School Prayer
Heavenly Father, Teach me to serve…
May I begin always with Justice,
May I act always in Love,
May I seek always … Truth.
Guide me Lord.
Amen
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 2
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
School Start-Up: for September 2016
The first day of the next school year is Thursday, September 1st. Details on how we will organize our
first day of school will come home in student progress reports. Please read them carefully! We want our students
and families to arrive at school feeling both safe and welcome. At the same time, we wish to minimize the
commotion of the first day.
Parents are responsible for student supplies for the upcoming school year.
Teachers will generate a “Recommended” list and send it home in your child’s progress report.
Please make every effort to have your child’s supplies ready for the beginning of the school year.
School Fees
Pay Fees Online!
Many thanks to our parents who pay their
school fees. Fees are important to help provide a
quality experience for your children over the course of
the year. When parents do not pay fees, the school has
to try to find money to cover expenses so that no child
is excluded from any activity.
Please know that we accept post-dated
cheques. Paying through monthly installments is a good
way to pay school fees. Just call our office!
Parents have the option of paying transportation
fees and school fees online. Payments can be made by
credit card or debit card. Parents can pay online:
PLEASE NOTE FOR NEXT YEAR:
Kindergarten
$90.00
Fees for Grades 1-6 $95.00
Noon Hour Fees
$80.00 per child
(family maximum: $160)
www.cssd.ab.ca
www.cssd.ab.ca/johnpaul2
The “Online Fee Payment” button is located in the top
right corner.
Parents are reminded that our school has a website that is full of information for you. Go to
www.cssd.ab.ca/johnpaul2
Stay informed!
REGISTRATION FOR BUSING
Spanish Program
2016/17 School Year
The deadline for confirmed start-up busing was Tuesday, May 10th, to return completed transportation
registration forms, but you may still submit your application. If you haven't received one or would like to register please see the office. Please ensure that you have all information correctly and fully filled out.
Please note that there have been some important changes with regard to transportation registration and
fee payment.
Important: You must register for transportation ASAP online, but you have starting from October 17th
to December 31st, 2016 to pay.
NOTE: If transportation does not receive your forms before June 13th, your child could be waiting until
the end of September for a schedule stop.
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 3
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
Last Day of Classes: Tuesday, June 28
Tuesday, June 28th is a Full day of school. If,
for some reason, your child will not be attending school
on June 28th, please supply the office with a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. No progress reports
will be given out before June 28th and they will be
given to a parent only.
Thank you!
Gracias!
June 2016
Staff Farewells:
We Will Miss You!
Sadly, we have a few staff leaving us this
upcoming school year:

 Mr. Piechotta
 Ms. Morris
Mrs. Tobias-McGuire
 Mrs. Andie
 Mr. O’Neil
El Martes, 28 de junio, es día completo de escuela. Si, por alguna razón, su hijo no va a asistir a la
escuela el 28 de junio, se debe entregar a la oficina un
sobre con su dirección y una estampilla. No se distribuirá ningún reporte de notas antes del 28 y solo se le entregará a un padre de familia.
We are very sorry to see these excellent
teachers go. They will be greatly missed!
That said, we also wish them all the very best in their
new positions and schools.
Lost and Found
St. John Paul II will be welcoming several new
teachers in September.
The lost and found boxes will be cleaned
out. Please check your closets to see if your child
is missing anything. These items will be bagged
and are being donated to charity and will be kept
until June 24th only!!
Please ask at the office if you would like to view
these items.
Milk Program
The last delivery date for our Milk Program is
Tuesday, June 14th.
We will sell them until we run out. Thank you to all who
have participated. If your child has any remaining milk
on their card, it will roll over into next year.
Note: The last day for the school store is:
Friday, June 24th.
Wheel-to-School Week:
Ride Your Bike to School!
May 30th-June 3rd is Walk-and-Wheel-toSchool Week. Albertans of all ages are encouraged to
bike, rollerblade, or scoot to work or school.
Plan ahead! Be sure you wear your helmet and that you
have a lock to lock your bike to the bike rack.
Be safe...be healthy...be environmentally
friendly.
Ride your bike, your scooter or your skateboard!
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 4
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
News from School Council
Chair: Holly Fukami
The end of another school year is upon us and before we head into summer, School Council would like to
thank all the countless volunteers that helped throughout the year. From SUTP's, to the Halloween Dance, Fun
Lunches, Pop Corn Day, Play Day and everything in between we could not have done all we have without you. Our
deepest gratitude and appreciation to you all. A huge thank you to all the parents who brought in food for our
staff appreciation, it was a wonderful spread of food. The teachers loved every bit of it.
I would personally like to send my heartfelt thanks to my School Council Executive. As my children are
moving on to other schools, my time as School Council Chair has come to an end. I wish your new Chair, Noelle
Bacalso, and the new School Council Executive all the best!
If you would like to participate in any of the School Council activities throughout the year, such as Fun Lunch or
Fundraisers, you are most welcome to attend our monthly meetings. Look for dates in the newsletter. There is
always a need for volunteers … and you don’t have to attend monthly Council meetings to be a volunteer!
Play Day is right around the corner and the School Council is in need of 5-6 volunteers to help with distributing
lunch to the students. If you are able to volunteer on this day, please be sure to let us know via email at
stjp2council@gmailcom.
Have a wonderful month of June, everyone, and thank you for all your support. School Council wishes everyone in
our school community a happy and safe summer. We look forward to seeing you in the upcoming school year!
Play Day:
Call for Parent Volunteers!
Play Day will take place on the morning of Monday, June 27th. Following the morning events, School Council
will be providing a free lunch for all students. A note including details on lunch will be coming home soon. Please
watch for this. We are still looking for 5-6 parent volunteers to help with preparations and lunch. Any help with
Play Day activities is greatly appreciated! Please contact the school if you are able to help out. We will forward
your name to Play Day organizers.
Kindergarten Parents: NO afternoon Kindergarten on Play Day!
All Kindergarten students, including afternoon classes, are invited to come for the morning activities.
Kindergarten will receive lunch in their classroom at 11:30 and will be dismissed at noon.
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 5
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
Library/Learning Commons News
The last official day of Library was May 24th. We ask parents to assist their children in looking
around home to locate any books or textbooks that belong to St. John Paul II and ensure that they are returned
by the above date. If in doubt, there should be a stamp with the school name on the inside cover of schoolbooks.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Please note that the cost of having to replace any missing or damaged books will be billed to parents.
After months of preparations and work on the Epic Lego Wall, the wall is now complete. We had a quick
celebration with those who helped complete the wall and a few guests. Stop by and see what we have
accomplished!
School Patrols
International Spanish Academy at
St. John XXIII Junior High
Many thanks to our Patrollers for their hard
This is for students who have not been
work and volunteer spirit this year. You have been
good leaders and good community helpers!
in Spanish program prior to Gr. 7 and want to
join as they move from Gr. 6 to 7 but need to
Patrols will end their year with a celebration speak Spanish. This is the first year this is
picnic organized by Safety Patrols at Heritage
being offered and it is intended for those
Park on Thursday, June 9th.
Thank-you, Ms. Knight, Ms. Fink, and Ms.
Vasquez, for your efforts in coordinating our
School Patrol this year! Thanks, as well, to the
Calgary Police Service for their
support and leadership.
native speaking students who might want to
start in the program.
Please contact St. John XXIII for
further information 403-500-2080.
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 6
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
Sacramental Celebration
Wednesday, June 8th at 8:00am
A committee of teachers is organizing a special Continental breakfast to recognize our students who celebrated a sacrament this school year.
If your child celebrated a sacrament, please let us know so that we can make them part of St. John Paul
II’s special celebration . At the celebration, all students who have received one of the sacraments this year will
gather to celebrate. We have many students who have received Baptism, First Holy Communion, Reconciliation or
Confirmation.
We are proud of these students and wish to rejoice with them as they continue their faith journey.
God be with you all!
Year End Celebration!
Wednesday, June 22nd
Our final Liturgy of the 2015/16 school year
will take place in our school gym on
Wednesday, June 22nd at 11:00am.
The celebration will feature our Grade Six
students as we prepare to send them off to Junior
High School.
Please plan to join us as we say farewell to this wonderful group of students!
We would like to thank Father John and Father Godwin for their presence, their continuing
support, and their leadership. We pray for God’s
blessing and continued health for our parish priests
and their staff!
Provincial Achievement Tests
Grade Six students will complete the final PAT exams this
month.
Wednesday, June 15 9:00-10:00 am
Grade 6 Language Arts, Part B
Thursday, June 16 9:00-10:15am
Grade 6 Math
Friday, June 17 9:00-10:00 am
Grade 6 Science
Monday, June 20 9:00-10:00 am
Grade 6 Social Studies
Parents can support and even improve student
outcomes by ensuring their children have adequate rest the
night before the exam, and proper nutrition the day of the
exam.
Let’s all do our part to support the students!
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 7
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
Good Bye Mr. Piechotta
Dear students, Families, and Staff,
Our current school year, 2015-2016 has once again been a wonderful year. We have all worked very hard and we hope
that each of us is a little better off, being a little smarted, having greater understanding and knowledge, and that each of us is
little more successful as a result of the time we have spent together.
Pope Francis declared this school as the Jubilee of Mercy. The Jubilee supported our district Faith Theme ”Walk Humbly”, as
our focus was on doing for others, being kind, acting on behalf of, comforting and praying for others. This also complimented
our School Motto, Justice-Love and Truth.
One of the exciting developments of our year has been our moving forward with the Learning Commons Concept. With
the support of our amazing school council, the school staff, and with match grant funding from the Alberta Government we
have been able to leap forward with our “Learning Commons/Library Plan”. A new configuration in the room, some new furniture
and shelves, and new technology are all part of the initiative. We will now have a total of four class sets of Chrome Books, and
we have replaced classroom desktop computers with Chrome Books as well. Our amazing EPIC LEGO WALL is the cornerstone
to our “Makers’ Space” which is aligned with a teaching philosophy that advocates increasing opportunities for creative, hands
on activities for students.
It is with sadness that I announce my final year at St. John Paul II School as I move on to another district assignment. I have had seven wonderful and fulfilling years in this community. I want to thank the staff and parents for all the support I have received and for every kindness. The children have been a blessing and I will surely miss their smiles and hugs. We
welcome incoming principal, Mrs. Hasiguchi.
I do want to take a moment to celebrate our school. St. John Paul II School is unique, and will always have a very special place in my heart! We have two programs, our English program and our Spanish program, the International Spanish Academy. I have often said, “We are so fortunate because the world has come to us!” We have children and families from around the
world. We have our beautiful FNMI students, and we literally have staff and families from Europe, North America, Central
and South America. As a result, I know I am blessed because of this mix, and I have learned probably more about the world in
seven years here at St. John Paul II, than perhaps I have learned the rest of my life. Here we have a dynamic and integrated
learning environment, and everyone is respectful of the diversity. We work in harmony! And so, while curriculum diverges, depending on the program of choice, there is a strong sense of unity. I marvel at how we embraced one another and in this respect, and I believe our school community stands as a model for others. Diversity co-exists…and our individual learning is so
enhanced. This provides such a remarkable living opportunity! I cannot say enough!
When Pope John Paul II communicated with our school in the opening year, 1985, he prayed that the students would
live and grow in a world that thrives on “Justice, Love and Truth”. The staff at St. John Paul II has kept this understanding
central to our work. We hope the children will carry our school motto out into the world as they grow and become contributing
citizens. Students, children, niños… I hope you recall always how each morning began at St. John Paul II as we reminded each
other, Remember, to be good to one another. And as we say in Spanish “Recuerden, seamos amables unos con otros!” God Bless
us all!
Thank you to School Council/Parent Volunteers
I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to recognize the wonderful support I have received from our School
Council at St. John Paul II, and also a significant core group of volunteers. Council Executive have always stood up in a big way,
consistently doing an outstanding job. A core group of dedicated individuals include Holly Fukami, Iva Valadao, Andrea Dolan,
Noelle Bacalso, Kareen Kinlock and Jody Moisey. A special thank you to them. They have been an amazing council! Supporting
this fine group are an outstanding number of volunteers, especially our special event volunteers (popcorn day, fun lunch, family
dance, staff appreciation, play day and more). Though too many to mention by name, you have given us many hours and days of
your time. Thank you for everything! To our casual volunteers, supporting classroom programs, field trips, library and more,
sincere gratitude!
A quick note to the staff
Staff you have been wonderful to work with. Thank you for loving the children and for giving your all, to teach them.
You are a wonderful and kind group of professionals. It has been a pleasure!
Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1… “Walk Humbly with God”
Page 8
Escuela St. John Paul II Elementary School
June 2016
Are you Moving?
To help us plan for the upcoming year and create class lists, etc., it is very important that we determine as closely
as possible the total number of children in each grade. The more accurate our enrolment information is, the more
accurate our advance planning can be. In a growing community, numbers can change significantly within several
months. This leads to changes in classroom groupings.
Are you leaving Escuela St. John Paul II School? Please fill in the following form and return it to the office
immediately. This form should also include students moving on to Grade 7 and not moving on to John XXIII
School.
Family Name:
_________________________________________________
Current Grade:
____________________
Effective Date:
____________________
Where are you relocating:
A)
City:
___________________________________
B)
School: ___________________________________
Name(s) of Child(ren)
Current Homeroom
____________________________________
________________________
____________________________________
________________________
____________________________________
_________________________
From the Staff at St. John Paul II