News Archive

We need some golfers to give Mr. Landry a run for his money! Join us on June 19th!

Reminder to OLS parents about the Spring fundraiser plants and meat pickup TODAY from 3:30-6pm at OLS through the front doors. There are 9 extra strawberry plants and 1 hanging basket up for grabs.

Congratulations to Kathy Resch, who is the recipient of our St. Joseph Parent of Distinction Award! Thank you for all that you do!

Due to the course conditions at Silver Tip, we had to postpone our golf tournament to Sunday, June 19th. Let’s treat our dads to a game of golf on Father’s Day! Register today at https://ols-schoolcouncil-golf.com/

Congratulations to Our Lady of the Snows’ CTR Award Winners! We are so blessed to have so many incredible staff! Thank you for all that you do!

Gr 3-6 Rosary Club has been running once a week since March. What a great way to come together!

A few weeks ago we had our first in-person band concert in years! Mrs. Toews and the students were pretty excited to perform but also for the support from everyone who attended!

Shortly before the Easter break we held our first ever OLS Trivia Night as a Grad Fundraiser! We are a bit late on posting but it was such an awesome night that we wanted to make sure and share!!

Our gr 3-6 Poetry Club meets twice a month. Students have an opportunity to focus on a style of poetry and write, and they can also read their own pieces or share a favourite published poet!

Lego Club started today thanks to a big donation of Lego!!!! We had over 80 students sign up and had to draw names out of a hat! We have enough Lego for about 20 students so students will get to take part for a month and then we’ll draw some more names. So much fun!!!

He is Risen. Alleluia!

Today we celebrate the first day of the Triduum - a period of 3 days of prayer: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil. Holy Thursday brings to mind the Lord’s Last Supper with the Apostles. Every minute of this Last Supper reflects both the Majesty of Jesus who knows He is to die the following day, and His love and affection for each and every one of us. What Christ did can be summarized in a few words from St. John: He loved them to the end. Today we are invited to meditate and pray on the love Jesus has for each one of us, and how we respond to it.

We are very excited to welcome Lacey Dubeau back to OLS for the upcoming school year in her new role as VP. Congratulations!

These ladies created a giant Jenga in Construction Class for junior and senior students to use outside during their lunch break! Awesome work ladies!

Registration is now open!!! Please visit www.ols-schoolcouncil-golf.com to register. If you are looking for other ways to be involved, we welcome silent auction donations and sponsorships! Please contact Marie Eltom for details at mariebanffiga@gmail.com. If you would like to help on the day of the Golf tournament, please visit https://volunteersignup.org/Q8M9W to sign up.

Check out the beautiful display in our front foyer made of peace cranes!

Father Nathan joined us last week to bless our peace cranes and our flowers. It began with 1 person wanting to make a difference and turned into a whole school project. Stay tuned to hear how much we raised! We are speechless!!!

We celebrated St. Patrick's Day by wearing green and learning about St. Patrick himself. St. Patrick taught the Irish about the Holy Trinity using the shamrock. Three leaves to one shamrock like three persons in one God — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Recently, some of Mr. Arvisais' students went above and beyond and nominated him for The Earth Prize Educator of the Year Award. He was recognized for all his support with their Earth Prize competition and for his dedication to the environment and the local community. Since then, he has been shortlisted and completed an interview with a Professor from Italy as part of the process. The winner will be announced March 25th and regardless of the outcome, we could not agree more with the students! "Mr. Arvisais has demonstrated, time and time again, his commitment to promoting student success and that he is a highly dynamic and versatile teacher." Thank you for ALL that you do! The opportunities students have been presented with because of you are above and beyond every single day!

Every year, The Earth Prize shortlists selected teams whose submissions have reached outstanding standards and recognizes them with The Earth Prize Scholars distinction. While OLS did not make the top 10, we were shortlisted, which places us in the prestigious top 5% group from around the world. https://www.theearthprize.org/scholars https://www.theearthprize.org/

We are SO blessed to have the Subs we do! We couldn’t do it without them!! Thank you!

Congratulations to Cian Comighod who was recently accepted into the Shad Program! Shad is a month-long, summer program for grade 10 & 11s where students participate in hands-on, university level STEAM and entrepreneurship learning. Collaborating in design teams, exploring post-secondary institutions, engaging with academic and entrepreneurial mentors, experiencing vulnerability training, and meeting some of the most passionate dreamers in Gen Z, this is a fantastic learning opportunity. Way to go!!

Today is International Women’s Day and this month is Women’s History month! Students throughout the month will have the opportunity to learn about many influential women in history. By Mr. Landry’s office you will see photos of many influential women and students are challenged to identify as many as they can and submit their answers to Mrs. Westlake with one winner being announced at the end of the month!

Board Games Club for grades 7-9 students happens on Mondays 3:30-4:30 p.m. Students meet to socialize and play a variety of board games including Dungeons and Dragons. They are invited to bring in their own games to share with fellow peers and teach one another!

There are so many fantastic clubs at OLS that we just can't keep up! Such a HUGE thank you to all of the teacher, parent, and community volunteers, grant writers and more who make these clubs possible! Here are a few photos from our Archery Club!

Yesterday was the last game at OLS for some of our Sr. Girls Basketball Team, who will be graduating this year. Here are a few snapshots from the game!

For some of our Senior Boy's Basketball Team, it was their last game at OLS on Wednesday as they will be graduating this year! Was bitter sweet and we wanted to make sure to get a few photos for the memory bank.

Today we came together virtually to start our Lenten journey with an Ash Wednesday Liturgy. Students received ashes on the crown of their heads, as a symbol of repentance, and remembrance.

Thank you Janell for all that you do!

Our basketball season is quickly coming to an end! Gr 9 boys played at OLS this evening so we took the opportunity to get a few "shots" in of the game.

Congratulations to Sandy Buchko for being our Christ the Redeemer Christian Witness Award Winner for Our Lady of the Snows! We are so blessed to have you as part of our OLS family!

It's our hundredth day of school today so we had some seniors join us for the special occasion!

5 hours left!!! The Mardi Gras Basket Silent Auction closes at 5pm TODAY. Check out the awesome baskets! We are at 70% of our fundraising goal! www.32auctions.com/ols-mardigras2022

We hope God blessed your Valentine’s Day—A Day of blessings filled to the brim, a day of good things that come from Him. A day of beauty, a day of grace, a day of sunshine on your face. A day that keeps you in peace and rest, a day that brings you all God’s best. Wishing you a day overflowing with all the love God holds in His heart for you!

Less than 24 hours to get your bids in!! The Mardi Gras Basket Silent Auction is NOW LIVE! The auction closes at 5pm this Thursday. Check out the awesome baskets here and start bidding today. We are at 57% of our fundraising goal! www.32auctions.com/ols-mardigras2022

Thank you very much for everyone’s contributions! We are super grateful! ONLINE AUCTION Link: https://www.32auctions.com/ols-mardigras2022 or use the QR code below. Closes on Thursday, Feb. 17th @ 5 p.m. WINNERS will be contacted and then can collect their baskets between 12:30 – 2 p.m. on Friday, February 18th at the school. HAPPY BIDDING!

Faith can move mountains. As we come together tomorrow in prayer for World Day of the Sick, we will be keeping these prayers in our thoughts and lifting them up to the Lord.

Feb. 11 is World Day of the Sick, an observation introduced by St. Pope John Paul II as a way to offer prayers for those suffering from illnesses, mental and/or physical. On the 11th, we will be taking part in a school wide rosary to pray for all those prayers on this wall and in our hearts.

Feb 1st-9th we are collecting items for our Classroom Baskets for our online auction! Our Mardi Gras fundraiser helps support many initiatives throughout the school and will be open Feb 11-17th at 5 p.m. Thank you for all of your support!

Over the last couple of weeks we have been blessing our classrooms with the guidance of Father Nathan. The first two digits are the first two digits of the year, then the initials of each Magi, followed by the last two digits of the year. Lord Jesus, in your humble state you welcomed kings and shepherds alike. May all who pass through these doorways - poor or rich, suffering or rejoicing, stranger or friends- be welcomed as the King Himself. Grant peace to this classroom and to the room of our hearts, that we may seek and find you in everyone we meet. You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Our Kindergarten Virtual Open House is Wednesday, February 9th 6:30-7:00 p.m. This is for new families who have not had kindergarten students with us before and are interested in learning more about our program and who we are at OLS. Please register here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdqe_cWwXkLxSLprz45kjX0xtLIVoDGTos6mmyJMRL8Ixoww/viewform?usp=sf_link

Paul Davis will be presenting to our Gr 4 to 6 students about internet safety Jan 25th. We are also hosting a parent information session for all K-12 parents, January 25th at 7:30 p.m. and hope to see you there! Make sure to check our weekly email for details and a link to register.

Great Learning Starts at Our Lady of the Snows! Register today for kindergarten. Program options are full days/five days a week! Students must be five years of age by Dec. 31, 2022. Registration in our kindergarten program guarantees placement in Grade 1 and beyond. We accept registrations year round. All students are welcome both Catholic and non-Catholic. Visit our website for full registration information. Through an authentic Catholic education, your child will: ➡EXPLORE their world through story, numbers, and play in the classroom and in nature. ➡CONNECT with God. With Others. With the World. ➡GROW while teachers walk with them as they learn through discovery, relationships and faith. CTR Catholic promotes the spiritual, academic, cultural, physical and social development of all students in a safe and caring environment. Learning is a journey and it all starts at Christ the Redeemer! Come Learn With Us! #greatlearningCTR https://youtu.be/YoRFa4Bq07M

Social Networking Safety Presenter, Paul Davis, has been reschedule for Tuesday, January 25th at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom for a Parent Session. Paul focuses on educating students from grade school to University as well as empowering parents to guide their children safely online.

"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

We had lots of fun getting ready for the Christmas holidays, including Advent activities, Mass, daily themed days, Christmas Concert preparations, and good works projects such as our Angel Tree Blessings to name a few. Amongst all the festivities we did manage to focus on the reason for the season and we hope you and your family do too. Merry Christmas!

Paul Davis presented to our grade 7 to 12 students today about online safety. What a phenomenal presentation! He will be presenting to our gr 4 to 6 students in the new year and we will be hosting a parent session January 4th at 7 p.m. so save the date! https://socialnetworkingsafety.net/sample-page/

Big News: this year we are doing a custom cover for our yearbook! Stay tuned for more details in the new year with a deadline of the end of February for submissions based on our theme.

Our K -6 Christmas Concert links were emailed this evening to our K-6 families. A number of emails bounced back so if you did not get an email, please reach out to the office tomorrow and we will update your email address in our system. Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Our Grade 9 Boy's Basketball Team played in a tournament this weekend as well! Here are a few snapshots from one of their games.

Christmas Mass registration opened this morning for Our Lady of the Rockies Parish. https://www.rockiesshrine.org/christmas2021

Our Senior Boy’s Basketball Team was on the road this weekend and brought us back some gold! Way to go boys! A special thank you to all of our coaches and volunteers who put in the countless hours behind the scenes for all of our teams!

Our Senior Boy's Basketball team played against CCHS this evening.

Today, Friday, November 26, at 9 p.m. is the last day to make an online order for our Book Fair. https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5149380

Our Book Fair is on now! https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5149380 Ordering something for a Christmas gift? Let the classroom teacher or Mrs. Buchko know and we will be sure to help you keep your purchase(s) a secret! For every book purchased, the school gets a percentage back to help our library grow and stay up-to-date. The virtual book fair will close Friday, Nov. 26th at 9:00 p.m.

Our grade 12 senior boys and senior girls volleyball players played their last volleyball game(s) for OLS this weekend! What a bittersweet memory for us all!

This weekend was our last weekend of volleyball with our Sr. girl's and Sr. boy's teams on the road and our JV girls playing locally. Here are a few snapshots of the JV girls in action. Thank you to all of our coaches and volunteers who have put in countless hours over the last several months with all of our teams!

Luc Arvisais received the Regional Certificate of Achievement from the Prime Minister’s Awards (PMA) for Teaching Excellence. Luc was nominated by staff, students and parents last year with an extensive nomination package submitted on his behalf. What an accomplishment and honour! https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/pmate-ppmee.nsf/eng/wz02488.html

Mr. Arvisais, along with grade 12 students Seth Perez and Alison Stanley, presented to our School Council last night and taught us about some of the incredible initiatives they have been working on over the last few years. Some of these include the Net Zero Heroes and their school-wide composting, aeroponic green housing which is happening in numerous classes throughout the school, and investigating the use of solar panels. Thanks for all your hard work!

Zoom link will be shared in our Weekly Email this week.

REMINDER DEADLINE TODAY: 8 p.m. Nov. 14th is the deadline to submit orders for our winter fundraiser! See the details in our weekly email or in the photos below!

Today as a school we came together virtually for a Remembrance Day Liturgy and walking through the halls beautiful art pieces have been put on display. While these are small acts of remembrance, we continue to work towards peace with our actions and words every day. Thank you to Colonel Gary Hunt for joining grade sixes today. We were so blessed to have had this time with you to honour the sacrifices you and many others have made for our peace and our safety.

Just a reminder that tomorrow (Wednesday) morning we have bus evacuations happening at the school first thing. This is done every year so students know what to expect in the event of an emergency. Southland and OLS staff will be present and supporting this learning opportunity.

Today was the day! We drew 7 student's names who had brought in food items for our Food Drive last week and they got to pie a teacher in the face! Thank you to Mr. Simon, Ms. Antony, Ms. Lafortune, Ms. Kilcommons, Mr. Washburn, Mrs. Toews, and Mr. Landry for volunteering. Honorable mention goes to Mr. Simon's son who took one for the team (unexpectedly...from his Dad)

Our Winter Fundraiser is on now! Are you looking for Christmas gifts? Have a sweet tooth? Looking to decorate your place for the holidays? The deadline for orders is November 14th at 8 p.m. See the photos for more details or our Weekly Principal's Message.

Today is Catholic Education Sunday. We are so blessed to have Catholic education, where God is our compass. Where a Catholic lens of the world shaped by reflection, action, service, official teaching, sacramentality and prayer are at the centre of all that we do. To share our own personal faith journeys as teachers is a privilege, one we cannot and do not take for granted.

Way to go OLS champs! Grade 9 girls came in first today in their tournament at CCHS!!

4214 items and $150 in gift cards. Absolutely incredible!! Congratulations to 6A who won the pizza party! We have yet to draw the names of students to pie a teacher but stay tuned!

Today we spent time in Adoration with Father Nathan. Adoration is the devotional tradition of spending time in Eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. Thank you to Mr. Targa who volunteered to live-stream from the church so we could spend this time with God.

Today we are celebrating our Educational Assistants (EAs). Thank you, Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Gillett, Mrs. Illsley, Ms. Jupe, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Russell, and Ms. Susan. We could not do it without you!!!

“Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. “ Genesis 1:3

Catholic Education Sunday is November 7 See Mass times below: The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies Sunday 9:30 am, 11:30 am, and 5:00 pm St. Mary’s Parish Banff Sunday — 10:00 am

Mr. Messier has opened up the construction lab once a week after school to current grade 7, 8 and 9 construction students who would like more time to work on projects. There are always so many great things going on at the school, we can’t always keep up!

Our Lady of the Rockies Parish Community collected 100 items for our food drive along with $150 worth of gift cards for local grocery stores. Thank you for all the support!

Happy Halloween!

Absolutely incredible. We have two risers left to fill and then we are out of room. What a great problem to have! Grade 5’s are still battling for first place with 7B not too far behind. There are definitely some other classes starting to catch up. 4 days left with Thursday as our last day! “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” Matthew 25:35

For the month of November, numerous grade six students have stepped up to volunteer as Peacekeepers during recess and lunch recess. Their goals are to help students by getting an adult supervisor, help younger students navigate conflict by asking questions that seek understanding, and to emphasize listening to others’ points of view and the peaceful resolution of differences. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

We are speechless as to the generosity of our community!! We have reached our goal of 1000 non perishable food items and hygiene items in a matter of 3 days! We have 6 days left! Let’s see if we can double that! So far 5k is in the lead with 5G close behind. 7A is blowing the other junior and senior classes out of the water! Elementary students have brought in almost 80% of our food bank items brought in to date!

Students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes to school on Friday, October 29th. We ask that you keep in mind the costume should be suitable for a Catholic school, it should be culturally respectful and one that is appropriate for a K-12 school. If there are weapons or small parts that go with the costume, please consider keeping them at home so they do not get lost.

Today we had our first lock down drill of the year. We practice safety drills throughout the year so if there was ever an emergency we are as prepared as we can be. Students did an awesome job and each class had fantastic conversations beforehand about what to expect.

Our Let’s “can” Hunger Food Drive kicked off today! McKinley Procinsky and Meagan Lang talked about the initiative with MountainFM. Have a listen! https://www.mountainfm.ca/audio/lets-can-hunger-at-our-lady-of-the-snows-school/

Reminder: deadline for priority card project orders is Sun., Oct 24 with delivery the week of Nov. 22-26. The final order deadline is Sun., Nov 7 with delivery the week of Dec. 6-10.

Our 'Let's "Can" Hunger' Food Drive is starting on Monday! Thank you to Megan Lang and McKinley Procinsky for helping organize this!

Our grade 4's had their Bible Ceremony today. Thank you to Father Nathan and our grade four teachers for making this day so special.

The elk have been joining us lately and decided it was their recess time so we had indoor recess this morning. They have just as much right to the space as we do and didn’t seem to be in a sharing kind of mood today. With so much wildlife around, did you know we do wildlife drills with the students? 🙂