Parent Newsletter: 11/26/2018
A Message from the Dean of Academics /
Interim Lower School Director
Dear Families,

From all of us at Saint Agnes School, I hope you had a restful and blessed Thanksgiving break with your family! I have one important announcement on academics for today’s newsletter that I am excited to share: Saint Agnes School will host a school-wide K-12 Homework Survey next week.
 
To begin, I am grateful for the feedback we received from our Parent Liaison Group regarding homework. As a Catholic school, we are always working toward the formation of the whole student: forming Catholic hearts and minds in faith, reason, and virtue. This includes revisiting and evaluating how much time we are asking students to spend on homework each night in order to ensure that we are both being reasonable with our expectations as well as honoring family time.

With this in mind we are hosting a Homework Survey next week, December 3-7. This survey will include the following:
  • All students, grades 1-12 (K students will not take the survey) will take a written survey each morning, Monday through Friday;
  • All teachers will take the survey with students each morning;
  • Parents will be able to take the survey remotely via email.

The goal of this homework survey is manifold: 1) to see and evaluate the amounts of homework administered as well as how long it takes to complete; 2) to collect feedback about the perception of homework in our community; 3) to address questions and/or concerns about homework; 4) to take an opportunity to adjust, if necessary, any approaches related to homework.

This Homework Survey is also a great opportunity for students, parents, faculty, and administration to reflect on the role and importance of homework in the work of teaching and learning. Please look at your email each week in order to participate in this school community survey. 

Thank you in advance for your participation and support!

In Christ,
Michael Adkins
Dean of Academics & Interim Director of the Lower School
UPCOMING EVENTS
Masses This Week
Tuesday, November 26: 8:45 AM – K-6 Mass
Friday, November 30: 8:45 AM - K-12 Mass (St. Andrew, Apostle)
Car Raffle Turn In Day #1 –
Wednesday, November 28
We have officially kicked off our all-school fundraiser! Our Grand Prize for this year's raffle will be a 2018 Ford Explorer ($37,320 value)! The earlier your students turn in their raffle tickets AND money, the more potential for winning incentives. ALL students who turn in their quota of $100 by this Wednesday, November 28 will receive an Aggie t-shirt (K-8) or an Aggie pop socket (9-12)! This fundraiser promises to be fun and rewarding! Please contact Mrs. Laurie Weyandt for more information, and see the parent information letter for more details.

Extraordinary Form Latin Mass Training- Sunday, December 2
Any young men in grades 6-12 who would like to learn how to serve the Extraordinary Form Latin Mass are invited to come to training this Sunday at 1:15 PM in the upper church. Trainings do not happen often, so please be sure to attend if interested! Veteran servers for EF Masses are encouraged to attend and assist with the training. 

Sophomore NET Retreat - Monday, December 3
We will welcome NET Ministries to our school campus on Monday, December 3 to lead this year's Sophomore Retreat. The retreat will run the entirety of the school day. Students are to be in full uniform this day, and lunch will be provided. Please  contact Mr. Pedersen with any questions or with any special dietary needs for our meals.

Little Flowers Group - Wednesday, December 5
The Little Flowers Group, for our young ladies of the school and parish, usually meets on the third Wednesday of each month in Schuler Hall during the school year. Due to Thanksgiving break, the group will meet on Wednesday, December 5 right after school. The regular December meeting will be held on December 19.

JH Game Night - Friday, December 7
The Junior High Student Council is planning a Game Night for grades 7-8 on Friday, December 7 from 3:30-7:30 PM in the UAC Commons and Bandas Gym. There will be open gym, board games, and more! Students are asked to pay a $2 admission fee. Stay tuned for more details!

JH Respect Life Club Praying at Planned Parenthood – Saturday, December 8
Respect Life Club members in grades 7-8 will be praying for an end to abortion at Planned Parenthood on Vandalia Street the morning of Saturday, December 8. Please join your prayers to ours as we intercede for a culture of life where the dignity of each person is upheld.
ATHLETICS
Come Support Our Aggie Athletes this Week!
(T) November 27:  Girls Basketball at North HS (JV 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:00 PM)
Boys Hockey vs. Mahtomedi at St. Croix Rec Center in Stillwater (JV 5:30 PM, Varsity 7:30 PM)
Girls Hockey vs. Simley at Minnehaha Academy Ice Arena - South Campus (Varsity 7:00 PM)

(R) November 29: Boys Hockey vs. St. Louis Park at SPA - Drake Arena (JV 5:00 PM, Varsity 7:00 PM)
Girls Hockey vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong at Minnehaha Academy Ice Arena - South Campus (Varsity 7:00 PM)

(S) December 1: Girls Hockey vs. Rochester Century at Rochester Graham Arena (Varsity 1:00 PM)
Wrestling Quad vs. BSM, CDH, Medford at Cretin Derham-Hall (All Quad 9:00 AM)

View full athletics calendar  here .
PARENTS
Teacher of the Month Nominations
Catholic Schools Center of Excellence is hosting a Teacher of the Month contest. The winning teacher will earn $1,000 for their classroom and $1,000 for their own use. Like CSCOE's Facebook , Instagram , or Twitter page, and post to or tag the page, telling CSCOE why your teacher should be chosen. The winner will be announced by CSCOE on November 30.

Adult Pick-Up Basketball
Interested in playing basketball at Saint Agnes on Sunday Nights? We are hosting adult only pick-up basketball at 7:30 PM every Sunday night in the grade school gym. Enter through door #1 and join us! If you are interested, please email Joseph Olson to be put on the email list and stay posted on any logistical changes. All skill levels are welcome.

Aggie Apparel for Sale
Find Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for your favorite Aggies! Aggie Apparel will be sold in the UAC Commons during the upcoming weeks - Stay tuned for more details.

Health Information for Families
It's flu season! Remember to keep your student home if he or she:
  • has a fever of 100 degrees or more during the previous evening/night or in the morning. Temperatures should be below 100 degrees for 24 hours, without use of fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
  • has vomited or had diarrhea during the previous evening/night or in the morning.
  • has been placed on antibiotic therapy for bacterial conditions (e.g. strep throat or pink eye). Students must be on medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
  • has a rash that may be caused by a disease. If the cause is unknown, check with your family physician before sending your student to school.
If student is at home sick, please call the school attendance line daily (651-925-8777) to report the reason for absence.

7-12 Altar Server Sign-Up - Due Tomorrow
Altar Serving at Saint Agnes is both a blessing and a privilege. Students must be responsible and reverent, while conducting themselves with discipline and respect at the altar. Students will also be required to maintain good grades during the year in order to serve. We are currently looking for boys in the High School grades 7-12 who meet the above criteria and want to altar serve during the High School Mass. If your son is interested, please fill out this registration form and return it to the school office by Tuesday, November 27.

Negative Cafeteria Accounts Notifications
Please check your cafeteria balance as the automatic recurring email notifications for negative cafeteria account balances began on November 15.To access the Cafeteria information for your Household: 1) Log into Educate. 2) At the top of the screen, select  School  and then select Cafeteria from the dropdown menu. 3) This screen will show all cafeteria activity, student meal/milk purchases, payments made, and the account balance. You can also select  Make Cafeteria Payment  from this screen. Visit the Communication Preferences (Beta) tab to update your notification preferences.
If you have any questions or need help changing contact information of notification preferences, please contact the Main Office. If you have questions or if your account is negative and you didn’t receive an email, please update your alert preferences and then contact Sandy Veal at 651-925-8815.

The Parent Newsletter is a weekly publication of Saint Agnes School.
Forming Catholic Hearts & Minds in Faith, Reason, & Virtue