DECEMBER 2016
ST FRANCIS XAVIER
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents,
Season of Advent: At this time of year, many people get swept up in holiday preparations: shopping,
parties, decorating, making travel plans, etc. It can be a hectic and stressful time of the year. On Sunday,
November 27, we began the season of Advent. It’s a time where we anticipate and long for the coming
of Jesus as our loving Lord and Saviour. We anticipate the celebration of Jesus’ birth, when he came into
the world to save us all from sin and death. The coming of Jesus into our lives at Christmas enriches our
journey of faith every day, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist and in our acts of love, charity,
and justice towards others. The very fact that the Creator of all humbled himself to become one of His
creations should fill us with awe at the tremendous love and sacrifice that very act alone communicates.
Throughout Advent you can gather as a family for prayer around an Advent wreath. You can focus your
efforts as a family on ways to share your bounty with others to experience a more meaningful and
impactful Advent Season. Make sure your family takes the time to slow down and reflect on the true
meaning of Christmas during Advent as that will help to ensure a truly blessed and Merry Christmas.
The St. Francis Xavier School Christmas Giving Tree
This year, the focus of our giving as a school will be to support Covenant House, an organization
that works to help the homeless youth in Vancouver. Information was sent home earlier this
month about the Christmas backpack programme. Items have already started to flow in and the
support so far has been encouraging. At last Monday’s Assembly, Mr. Mark Savard from
Covenant House made his annual visit to our school and shared a video and information
regarding Covenant House and its aims.
Why does Saint Francis Xavier participate in this event?
We believe that Christmas is a time to focus on giving and helping those less fortunate than
ourselves. The Leadership Group appreciates the generosity of our school community and would
like to remind you that participation in the Christmas backpack campaign is purely on a
volunteer basis.
Thank you,
The members of the SFX Leadership Group
Christmas Giving: At this time of year we take the time and effort to try to assist those less fortunate
than us. Christmas is a time of giving, just as God gave His only Son to us to save us from sin. Over the
next while, there will be various opportunities for our students to exercise the gift of giving, from the
Giving Tree detailed above that helps the poor families to have presents under the tree at Christmas to
our collection of food so those less fortunate than us have a simple meal every day. Sometimes families
may feel beset by what seems like constant requests for money, but especially at this time of year it is
important for children to feel something can be done to help these people and if buying a present for a
child in need gives them that feeling, then we have accomplished something meaningful.
Below are some ideas from http://www.loyolapress.com about lessons in giving:
Parents can support their children's spiritual growth by giving them opportunities to put aside their own
needs and give to others. Not only will it strengthen personal self esteem, kids will recognize the true joy
of helping those in need. Have you tried these ways to share the joy of giving?
1. Involve your kids in “giving” decisions.
Explain to your children what portion of your family budget goes toward charity and helping
others. Get them involved in deciding which causes to support.
2. Make giving to others a “given.”
Studies show that most generous adults had parents who also showed generosity, so be sure
that helping others in need is something that your family simply does as a matter of course.
3. Maintain a balance between giving and receiving.
Make sure that your children see examples of giving and receiving within the family. Both sides
are important for balanced personal development.
4. Share your own needs with your child.
Depending on the age of the child, it’s O.K. to occasionally say, “I need some help today. I would
appreciate it if you took on some of my usual chores.” Then be specific about what the child can
do and how he or she can do it.
5. Exercise your faith in God’s providence.
Generosity is an attitude toward life. It presupposes the faith that God will provide and the
conviction that as we have been given, so we should give.
Christmas Play: Mrs. Harris and the Primary teachers are busily working with the Primary classes to
prepare for the Christmas play. Similar to last year, the Christmas play will be presented on Friday,
December 16th at 11:00 am in the Gym. Given our schedule leading up to Christmas holidays, the staff
decided to make things easier for parents. Since we were dismissing for Christmas holidays on
December 16th, it would be easier for parents to come for the concert and then be there at 12:00 noon
for early dismissal that day. We hope parents will make an extra effort to be at school for 11:00 a.m. and
then be ready to go once the concert is over.
Christmas colours Spirit Day
Please join us in our next spirit day which will take place on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
Students are encouraged to wear Christmas colours that day instead of their usual uniform. There
is no cost for this Spirit Day; instead, please make sure you contribute to the Covenant House
backpack campaign.
Thank you for participating in this event.
Sincerely,
The members of the Leadership Group.
St. Francis Xavier School Open House – The date for the SFX Open House will be Wednesday, January
18, 2017. At that time, applications for new students from Kindergarten to Grade Seven will be made
available. As in the past, we rely on our parents who do such a great job in attracting new parents to our
school. Virtually every new parent I meet tells of hearing about our school from people whose children
are currently enrolled in our school. Thank you for the great “word of mouth” advertising that you do for
our school!
Chinese New Year celebration – A reminder that this year we will hold our school celebration
of Chinese New year on Friday, January 27th. As this leads into the weekend, we will have Noon
dismissal that day. Our day will begin on Friday with a special mass at 9:00 am. Some of the
hymns and prayers will be read in Mandarin. Students are encouraged to wear their Chinese New
Year clothes to Mass and for the entire day. More information to follow in January’s newsletter.
SNOW DAY PROCEDURES
With the closeness of winter, it is a good idea to review the procedures surrounding “Snow
Days”. As with many other things, our first priority will always be safety of our students and families. If
the roads in the area are considered dangerous for travel, that, among other factors (such as the
weather forecast), will be taken into consideration before a final decision is made.
1. In the case of heavy snow, the Principal decides whether to close the school before 6:00 a.m.
and informs the PEC chairperson.
2. The Principal informs the staff of the school closure. Classroom teachers are asked to contact
their PTA parent representatives so that they may notify the families on their phone list.
3. The Principal contacts the local radio station CKNW 980 AM. The office manager will contact
the Chinese radio stations WBFC 1470 AM and WJGR 1320 AM. These media outlets will be
contacted before 6:30 a.m. with the announcement.
4. If parents do not receive a call and/or do not hear that St. Francis Xavier School is closed
announced on the radio, then school is open. Teachers will be expected to be at school and
students will be expected to come to school as well. Please do not call the school asking if the
school is open. Teachers and office staff are busy enough with their morning duties to
continually answer the telephone to answer the same question dozens of times.
A Traffic Thank You!
In the past month, our morning drop off routine has been disrupted by construction at the new
Emily Carr College on Great Northern Way. There has been a dedicated and hard working who
have been essential in keeping the traffic moving despite the loss of the curb lane drop off zone
in front of the school. I’d also like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding in
putting up with these delays. I do have a contact who works with the contractor who gives us a
day’s notice with such disruptions which allows us to plan better for these closures. Hopefully
there will not be many more disruptions.
LIBRARY NEWS!!!!
It is an exciting time in the Library! We have many new books that will be ready for checking
out soon. We have recently upgraded our Library computer software. Our school catalogue can
now be accessed through the link sfx.follettdestiny.ca
Students can do a topic search and see what books we have on various topics and there are also
helpful links to websites with related information.
We will be working with the students to help them navigate and get used to our new system.
All please check the school website library blog for special updates.
Ms. Fountain and Mrs. Moffatt
Nutrition and Health: As teachers and parents, we are all concerned about the health and well-being of
our children. This also involves the kind of choices parents make for lunches for their children. It is
encouraging to see that parents have heeded our request to not bring their children various “fast food”
as in an earlier newsletter parents were discouraged from bringing in such lunches for their children as
their nutritional value is dubious at best. Some schools have gone so far as to ban such lunches in an
attempt to promote good health and nutrition. Again I ask all parents to consider what constitutes a
healthy and acceptable lunch for their children in their school day. Many studies have shown that a
healthy lunch promotes well being and assists in learning. Please make a wise decision when it comes to
your child’s lunch.
Thank you all for heeding to the school request to keep peanuts and tree nuts out of our school.
Hopefully the information contained in last month’s newsletter was helpful and will assist in keeping us
“Allergy Aware” and a safe environment for all students.
Green Team
As Christmas approaches and the amount of garbage resulting from the packaging and wrappings
of consumer goods increases exponentially, it is time to think about how to reduce our carbon
footprint. Let’s take some baby steps over the next few months to improve our environmental
impact at school and at home.
Baby Step #1
Use re-fillable water bottles.
As you may or may not know, SFX School is a bottled water free zone.
Baby Step #2
Be creative in wrapping your gifts this Christmas. Use cloth bags, dish cloths, your child’s
artwork, and brown paper tied up with string (re-using paper bags!) Brainstorm ideas with your
children!
Baby step #3 Buy Green!
Purchase and use reusable shopping bags from your favourite retailers.
Check out these green-friendly stores:
1. Urban Source 3126 Main: to get alternative art supplies for your children or yourself.
www.urbansource.bc.ca
2. The Soap Dispensary 3718 Main: an environmental refill store stocking cleaning products,
personal care products, and more! www.thesoapdispensary.com
3.Delish General Store: Find super eco-friendly products here! #108, 1535 Johnston Street
Granville Island http://delishgeneralstore.bigcartel.com
Have a green Christmas!
Basketball: Basketball practices are well underway. We are entering five teams in the CISVA leagues this
year so our gym will be a very busy place in the months to come! It is great to see so many students
coming out and having fun playing basketball. It is a tribute to the enthusiasm and dedication of our
coaches to have such great involvement.
Knights of Columbus
Free Throw Championship
St. Francis Xavier Council 10500
All boys and girls ages 10 to 14 are invited to participate in the local level and District level of
competition for the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship. The local competition will
be held at St. Francis Xavier School gym at 1:00pm on JANUARY 22, 2017.
The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is sponsored annually, with winners
progressing through local, district, and province competitions. International champions are
announced by the K of C headquarters based on scores from the state-level competitions. All
boys and girls will compete in their respective age and gender divisions. Since its beginning in
1972, over 2.5 million youths have participated in the contest. All contestants on the local level
are recognized for their participation. Participants are required to furnish proof of age and written
parental consent. Age eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant as of January 1, 2016.
Please pick up Entry Forms/Score Sheets from school main office and return the completed
form to the office BY JANUARY 6, 2017. Additional information contact: Mr. Balintona
School Reopens January 4th
A reminder to all families that SFX School will be closed Tuesday, January 3rd to allow for a
professional day so all staff members can update their First Aid certificates. The school will
reopen on Wednesday, January 4th.
St. Francis Xavier School Building Fund
The St. Francis Xavier School Building Fund Team sent out a letter regarding the School
Building Fund pledge in November. We sincerely thank all parents who have already forwarded
their donation to the office. Your generosity is very much appreciated.
Parents/guardians who did not receive the letter for some reason can contact the school office for
a copy. You can also contact the members of School Building Fund Team: Belinda Tanzil and
Francis Vuong for more information or if you have any questions.
Please be informed that donations received before the school's Christmas holiday (December 16,
2016) will be issued a 2016 Tax Receipt. Donations received on and after January 1, 2017 will
be issued a 2017 Tax Receipt.
All cheque donations should be made to: "St. Francis Xavier Church" instead of the school.
Once again, thank you for your continuous support to our school. May God bless you and your
family during the Advent Season, grant you a blessed Christmas and a happy Holiday Season!
SFX Youth & Young Adult Ministry
Coordinator’s Corner (December 2016)
Jenny Mary Ng
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 604-254-2714, ext. 113
EDGE catechetical theme: Joyful
December EDGE schedule
02 – She’ll Be Round the Mountain [Visitation]
09 – He’s Here [Nativity]
16 – Family Christmas Social
23-30 – No EDGE [Christmas break]
Joyful Family Series
For the next 2 EDGE sessions in December, EDGE youth and parents will continue our
journey together with Mary to wait and prepare for the coming of the
Messiah.
Parents and their children
laid the greens to make the
Advent wreath. It will be
sitting in the JP2 room
during Advent.
Advent Retreat in English
Saturday, December 3, 1-4pm at PLC
Fr. Francis Ching, CC, All parishioners, adults and youth are invited.
Email the coordinator of the event at [email protected] if you have questions.
Parish Christmas Family Dinner and NYE Countdown
Saturday, December 31 at SFX Gym
Join our priests, sisters and parishioners for a family dinner with entertainment provided
by parishioners, young and old. Then we toast the arrival of the New Year together.
St. Francis Xavier School
428 Great Northern Way
Vancouver, B.C. V5T 4S5
604 254 2714
Please remember to send a letter
to the school if your child is absent.
Sun.
December 2016
Mon.
Tue.
Wed.
Thu.
1
Fri.
Sat.
2
3
Mass 4L
St. Francis Xavier
Feast Day
SFX Parish Feast
Day Dinner
Land of Trash
Performance
4
5
11
6
Field trip 7K/M
Confessions
(Grade 3-5)
PTA Meeting
5:30pm
Workshop 3K/W
Workshop 2A/Z
12
13
PEC Meeting
6:30pm
Mass Grade 4 @
SFX 11:15am
18
7
Workshop 7K/M
14
8
20
No Mass
NO SCHOOL
Term 1 Reports
distributed
Parent Teacher
Conferences
15
Spirit Day
Christmas Colors
21
10
Intermediate
Choir Field trip
16
17
Mass
Christmas Play
Hot Lunch and
Concession
19
9
12:00 Dismissal
22
23
24
Christmas Eve
No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Christmas Day
Ney Year’s Eve
No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break - No School - Christmas Break
1
2
Notes
New Year’s Day
Holiday
3
4
Professional Day
No School
School re-opens
5
6
7
Mass
REMINDERS - Christmas Giving Tree
This year the St. Francis Xavier School Leadership Group will be collecting items for the Covenant
House Christmas Backpack Drive. Please help support us by donating new and un-opened items
th
and place them under the Christmas tree by Friday December 9 .
Merry Christmas
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the ferocious T-Rex Young Rembrandts style. All this and more! Don’t miss out!
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