September 2019

WELCOME PRAYER

Father, we thank you for the opportunity to begin the 2019-2020 school year, and we ask that you bless the staff, students and all the families of our community. We pray that you will guide us in all ways, and that we will seek your will in everything that we do.

Amen

Principal’s Message

I would like to welcome all of our new and returning students and families to Archbishop MacDonald High School! We are glad you are here and we are looking forward to a happy, productive school year filled with wonderful learning and happy memories. We look forward to working with you over the coming school year.

Our district theme for the year, ‘Walking Together in the Light of Christ” invites us to reflect upon St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, which says, “For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.” As we begin the new school year, let us be attentive to Paul’s words and consider how we can live as children of light, both at school and in our homes.

We are looking forward to meeting parents at our Meet the Staff evening on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:30 PM. At this time, we will introduce our new staff members including our new Assistant Principal Mrs. Androschuk.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Theresa Antonakis Principal

September Events

Sept. 3 Gr. 10 Orientation

Sept. 4 First Day of Classes-All Students

Sept. 6 School Opening Celebration

Sept. 10 Grade 10- M 10 Group –PLT Grade 11 & 12 Assembly- PLT

Sept. 11 Course Change Deadline IB Retreat

Sept. 13 MAC IT UP-PLT Senior Volleyball Teams Mini Tournament

Sept. 17 Club Day- PLT

Sept. 18 Meet the Staff Evening at 6:30 pm

Sept. 19 PD DAY: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Sept. 18-20 Physical Education 30 Camping Trip

Sept. 25-27 Peer Support & MAC Council Retreat

French Immersion & IBDP Newsletter You will find our French Immersion Newsletter on our website under the French Immersion page. Our IBDP & MYP Newsletter is located under the Monthly Newsletter page.

PARENT POWERSCHOOL LOG IN

The District has gone digital! All parents are required to have a log in for PowerSchool. Parents are now going to be digitally verifying their student’s registration form. This form is required by Alberta Education to confirm our student’s registration with our school.

As parents, through PowerSchool, you are able to pay fees, print and view report cards, set up reports to send information, such as attendance, a course mark, test marks etc. . .

If you do not have a log in or do not know your Username or password please contact our office and we will reset your password or set up your access to PowerSchool.

Please do this before September 15th, as the district will be sending out the verification forms to your email address. You will NOT be able to verify without a log in and password.

Business Office Reminder: SCHOOL FEES

*Parents can go onto their PowerSchool Account to make payment of school fees. *

Instructions on how to pay school fees through PowerSchool

Archbishop MacDonald Celebration of Excellence

Please save the date!

Our Celebration of Excellence evening is on Thursday October 3, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the gymnasium.

Invitations will be sent out by email in mid-September.

If you have any questions, please email Mr. James Kriese ([email protected])

Athletics at MAC

We have four volleyball teams at MAC and the season runs from September to November. Senior volleyball try-outs are September 3 - 5, and junior try- outs are September 9 - 12.

Cross-country running practices start September 9 and races happen throughout the fall, ending with provincials on October 19.

Stay tuned for announcements regarding Club Day on September 17 for more information on our swim and curling teams.

Student Services

Every year Student Services receives many inquiries as to how to find and apply for scholarships. Scholarships are normally applied for in your Grade 12 year, prior to entering post-secondary education, and are the responsibility of the student. Scholarships applications are available to graduating students starting in the fall and continuing on right to the end of the school term. Students are encouraged to do their research early and stay on top of application deadlines.

Although academics play a large part in winning scholarships, students with extra-curricular involvement, community service and leadership experience are often more likely to win a scholarship over someone who doesn’t have these experiences. The more involved you are, the better. You should also make sure you check with the post-secondary institution you are planning on attending. Often they provide Entrance Scholarships for students who maintain a high average or are involved in leadership activities in their school and community.

The Rutherford Scholarship is awarded to graduating Grade 12 students from Alberta who have maintained a minimum 75% average. The student only applies ONCE in Grade 12 for all three years of high school. This award is applied for online and the application can be found at http://www.studentaid.alberta.ca/scholarships/alberta- scholarships/rutherford-scholarship/ . The student should be accepted into a post-secondary institution and have their final grade 12 marks available before applying.

If you are interested in getting scholarships to help fund your post-secondary education, and are currently in Grade 10 or 11, help yourself by getting involved in your school and community and taking the time to do your research. The counsellors are here to support you in this process. If you have any questions about your scholarship search, please do not be afraid to ask.

Post-Secondary Applications: Student services will be holding mandatory PLT sessions for all grade 12 students starting in September. These sessions will address the procedures as well as applicable dates and information students need to be aware of when applying for post-secondary. We will also be reviewing graduation requirements with all grade 12 students and discussing how to apply for scholarships. Our counsellors are always available to answer questions, but would like to remind students that they are responsible for applications and all applicable deadlines.

Post-Secondary Planning at MAC

The vast majority of MAC’s graduating students will go on to attend a university or college in the Edmonton area while others may venture further to university and college programs across Canada or abroad. Student Services endeavors to ensure that all students have access to information about post-secondary programming so they are able to make the best decisions possible about their post-secondary experience. Listed below are some of the sessions and information available to students throughout the year. Beginning September, 2019, Student Services will meet with ALL grade 12 students to ensure they have their graduation requirements as well as to talk about upcoming applications to post-secondary Institutions. Most post- secondary institutions in Canada start taking applications for the following school year on October 1. Please see the scheduled Post-Secondary events below: Friday, September 20, 2019 (during PLT) – University of Alberta will be holding a student information session in the Atrium at MAC.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019 (during PLT) – University of British Columbia (UBC) will be presenting to all interested students at MAC. Location TBA

Tuesday, September 24, 2019 (during PLT) – Simon Fraser University will be holding a student information session at MAC. Location TBA Tuesday, October 1, 2019 – an all afternoon event – MAC is hosting a post- secondary fair for all Alberta post-secondary institutions. All MAC students are required to attend this event.

Thursday, October 3, 2019 (12:30-2:30) – Post-Secondary Application Help – Join the counsellors in the SRC if you need help with your post- secondary application.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - MAC is hosting an Out-of-Province University Fair in the Atrium for all interested students. Post-Secondary Institutions attending this fair MAY include: Dalhousie University, University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, Concordia University (QC), University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Western University, University of British Columbia, University of Saskatchewan, and many more. Please check back closer to the date to confirm individual institution’s attendance.

Friday, October 18 and Saturday, October 19, 2019 – NAIT Open House – www.nait.ca

Saturday, October 19, 2019 – University of Alberta OPEN HOUSE – www.ualberta.ca/openhouse. All interested GRADE 11 and 12 students should plan on attending.

Saturday, October 19, 2019 – Concordia University Edmonton OPEN HOUSE - https://concordia.ab.ca/future-students/open-house/

Monday, October 21, 2019 – University of Toronto will be holding an information session for all interested students at LUNCH. Location TBA.

Friday, November 1, 2019 (during PLT) – MacEwan University will be hosting an information session for all interested students during PLT. Location TBA

Saturday, November 2, 2019 – MacEwan University Open House – www.macewan.ca Tuesday, November 19, 2019 (during PLT) – The University of Victoria will be hosting an information session for all interested students during PLT. Location TBA

Tuesday, November 26, 2019 (during PLT) – The University of Alberta will be hosting ADVISING SESSIONS for students who have outstanding questions about registration and/or application status.

MAC Student Services continually adds to the list of post-secondary events throughout the year. Please feel free to check back with us regularly. You can email our school counsellors Lisa Reeves ([email protected]) or Kary Laplante ([email protected]) if you have any questions surroundingpost-secondary information.

Students Interested in Writing the PSAT Exam

If you are in Grade 10 or 11 and are interested in writing the PSAT exam, our friends and neighbours at Jasper Place High School have graciously agreed to host some of our students for the writing session. Deadline to apply for a seat to write the PSAT is Thursday, September 12, 2019. You must register directly at Jasper Place High School. Contact Mrs. Reeves at MAC for more information.

**Please note: This is NOT the SAT exam but rather a pre-test given only to students interested. You do NOT have to write the Practice SAT exam prior to writing the full SAT. You can register for the full SAT exams at www.collegeboard.org.

High School Art Contest

This Fall, Archbishop MacDonald High Schools will participate in a contest showcasing student artwork. Student are asked to show "What mental health means to me."

$1500 in cash prizes to be awarded for the top 5 art submissions.

Please see Mrs. Laplante or Mr. Eschak for more details.

For more information or how you can be involved in upcoming contests please contact us https://www.mentalqyeg.com/

Edmonton Public Library Card Program

If you are interested in applying for an Edmonton Public Library card please click on the link below, print off & fill out the application form. Please return all forms to Ms. PM in the SRC by September 30, 2019

EPL Card Program Information