Grade 3 and 6 – Provincial Achievement Testing Practice
Please see below for information on practice exams of previous PATs:
PAT Information for Parents
To access previous Provincial Achievement Tests for grades 3 and 6 in the subjects of Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Mathematics go to http://education.alberta.ca/
Click on Parents – under Resources for Parents, click on Achievement Tests and Diploma Exams where you will find Parent Guides – click on More information on Provincial Achievement Tests – scroll down and click on Released Materials where you will find a list of all the released PAT exams from 2008-2011. Exams must be printed off and the answer key is located at the back of the exam.
An online test bank available through the Alberta Education website is Quest A+. This is Alberta Education’s new digital testing solution. This application contains released tests for various subjects. Quest A+ can be accessed from https://questaplus.alberta.ca/ . Quest A+ contains practice exams available to the public.
Sigmund Brouwer to visit St. Martin’s
This upcoming Wednesday, author Sigmund Brouwer will be visiting St. Martin’s. Sigmund will be sharing information about his career as an author, the children’s novels that he writes, and about the importance of reading for children. See the attached poster for more information.
Sigmund will be selling a selection of his books for $5 per book. Parents are also welcome to attend the presentation. The presentation will begin a approximately 9:00 am in the gymnasium.
Jersey Day Today!
Parents, just a quick reminder that Jersey Day was moved from Wednesday April 11 to Thursday April 12 (today).
St. Martin’s Teachers Participate in Relay for Life Event
On June 9, 2012, current and former teachers of St. Martin’s will join together to participate in the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. What is the Relay for Life? According the the Canadian Cancer Society, “The Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser. It is an opportunity to get together with family and friends and celebrate cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost to cancer, and fight back in the hope of finding a cure for this terrible disease.” Teachers will come together to walk in a 12-hour overnight relay in support of cancer survivors and those who have lost a loved one to cancer.
This is the first year that the staff of St. Martin’s have entered a team. The team is lead by Team Captain, Mrs. McMaster. She will be joined by Mrs. Bicknell, Mrs. Bilyk, Mrs. Cowle, Mrs. Deal, Mrs. Salsbury, Mrs. Sorochan, Mrs. Yaremko, Mrs. Zacharkiw, and by former principal, Mrs. Varga.
When Team Captain, Mrs. McMaster was asked why the teachers of St. Martin’s got involved in this fundraising effort, she stated,
“We are supporting this cause as a tribute to our loved ones who have passed or who are battling the disease. This includes students, parents of students and even current and past colleagues! I think it’s a great way to show our support to our school community who battle or who have lost a loved one to this disease.”
You can donate to the St. Martin’s team by clicking the daffodil to be taken to the Relay for Life team donation page. Once on the St. Martin’s Team page, you can select to donate to the team or click on one of the participant’s name to donate to that teacher to help reach their personal goal.
Click on the daffodil above to donate to the St. Martin's Catholic School Relay for Life team.
Teacher Profile – Cheryl Zacharkiw
M
rs. Cheryl Zacharkiw knows all about new. Mrs. Zacharkiw is the Monday / Wednesday kindergarten teacher and when one teaches kindergarten, everyday is new; new letters, new numbers, new friends, new ideas. Mrs. Zacharkiw herself is relatively new. She entered the teaching profession five years ago and has taught for four of those years in kindergarten at St. Martin’s. The other year was spent at home with her daughter, Calla.
After working as an Educational Assistant at St. Martin’s, Mrs. Zacharkiw felt that she was ready to take the plunge into teaching. Without telling any of her family, she applied to the University of Alberta. A few months later, she received her acceptance and headed back to school. Mrs. Zacharkiw says that her family was in shock at the news that she would be going back to school at the age of 25.
In kindergarten, Mrs. Zacharkiw is so in love with everything that she teaches that she couldn’t pick a favourite, she added “I would have to say the whole program.”
Outside of school, Mrs. Zacharkiw enjoys spending time with her husband, Trevor, and daughter, Calla. They enjoy spending time in the outdoors fishing and sledding and playing outside. Mrs. Zacharkiw also enjoys hockey and curling.
Mrs. Zacharkiw will be experiencing something new in the next couple of months as she and her husband welcome a second child into their family. All of the staff and students are very excited and wish Mrs. Zacharkiw all the best.
Volunteer Request – Track and Field Meet
Parents,
With the snow melted on south facing lawns and the temperatures settling above zero, track and field season is upon us. Students will begin practicing for the various events in phys. ed. classes and will be gearing up for our annual school track meet. On Tuesday May 8, students in grades 4 – 6 will be participating.
We are looking for parents to help with the track and field meet and are looking to see if there is parent interest in supplying a canteen on the day. Parents are needed for track and field events as timers and field event coordinators. If you would be willing to assist with either the track and field events or a canteen, please contact Mr. Coles at danc@eics.ab.ca or please phone the school.
Thank you,
Dan Coles
Assistant Principal
St. Martin’s Catholic School Foundation Announcement
The SAC Foundation Committee would like to make sure that they are spending money wisely and on items that benefit as many students as possible. SAC would like to encourage all parents and students to share ideas of what types of things that they feel would benefit the St. Martin’s school and students – don’t be shy – your idea could be as simple as a new soccer ball to as complicated as a fancy science laboratory. We are looking for ideas to focus our fundraising efforts as per the needs and interests of the students, parents and teachers. Please share your ideas by emailing stmartins.sac@gmail.com . This topic will be part of the discussions taking place at the SAC and Foundation meetings starting at 7pm in the school library on April 23, 2012.
Information Item: St. Martin’s Catholic School Foundation
The following information is being provided upon the request of the St. Martin’s Catholic School Foundation. The Foundation is a supporter of the activities that occur at St. Martin’s Catholic School and raises funds to support the school.
On March 14, 2012, The St. Martin’s Catholic School Foundation and the St. Martin’s Kindergarten Association amalgamated. One of the major fundraising events that was previously organized by the Kindergarten Association is the annual Harvest Ball. The Foundation will now be the organization responsible for this wonderful event. At the most recent Foundation meeting, a decision was made to create a committee that will be responsible for planning and implementing the event. On April 23, after the School Advisory Council meeting, the Foundation will hold their meeting. At this meeting, an election will take place to select positions on the Harvest Ball Committee. All parents interested in participating on the committee or volunteering to assist with the Harvest Ball are invited to attend.
Big Drum at Wendy Brook Festival
Today marked my first opportunity to view the St. Martin’s Big Drum Band perform outside of their weekly classes. The morning started out with what I can only describe as a military operation. The grade 5 and 6 students were like a well oiled machine setting up or preparing over seven keyboards, a drum set, and many other rhythm instruments and mallets. The students did this in a professional manner. The 25 minutes of pre-performance work was a predictor for the performance to follow. At one point, I asked myself, “If they are this good at getting everything setup, they must play wonderfully!”
The grade 3 – 6 students certainly did not disappoint. I cannot comment on the technical aspects of the performance, but the sound I heard was amazing. Even more amazing for me as an educator of young people was the focus that the students showed. I might even suggest that the focus was as fierce as the lion that accents their band t-shirts.
This program is truly a blessing for the students at St. Martin’s and I look forward to many more opportunities to hear them play. I am positive that their skills will continue to improve and they will continue to capture audiences in their rhythmic beat.
Congratulations to all performers and the conductor Darren Salyn on a job well done.
Please see below for a video that was produced. The sound track to the video is Grade 5 Big Drum playing Batman. Please do not blame me if you get “Den ne na nuh ne nuh, Batman!” stuck in your head.
