December 7,  2018
                                                                                                           
Principal's Message
Greetings,

Have you had a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit yet? Well, Loyola is the perfect place to get you kick-started. There are plenty of lights and decorations throughout out building for starters. We kick off our Christmas concert season this evening with Christmas on the Hill presented by our Loyola High School Concert Choir. It is at 7:00pm at the School Sisters of Notre Dame Chapel. Next week, the 5-12 band concert is Tuesday, at 7pm and the 5-8 choir concerts is Wednesday at 1:30pm. You also won't want to miss the preschool program on December 20 at 10am,  and the K-4 program that afternoon at 1:30pm.

Thursday we hosted a Respect Retreat for our freshmen, put on by Youth Frontiers. Retreats are a very important facet of our offerings here at Loyola as they help foster faith, leadership and service to others. In speaking to a few of the freshmen, they felt it allowed them to open up with each other which really brought out some good feelings and emotions.

I'd just like to touch back to my letter earlier in the week in regard to pick-up after school. I have had a few follow up questions to the email. What our intent is really just to promote reasonableness, respect for others, timeliness, but most importantly safety of our children and others.

Lastly, this week's Top 20 message is about "The Line". When it comes to the line there are two ways of thinking, Above the Line and Below the Line. When we are Above the Line, our attitudes, beliefs and moods are very different than when we are Below the Line. Having a Top 20 mindset is being Above the Line in the way we think, learn, and communicate--or TLC. This belief can become practice and help us change our lives and circumstances for the better!

Have a blessed weekend!

Adam Bemmels,  PS-12 Principal
All School News
NO MORNING BUSING NEXT TUESDAY, 12/11

NEXT WEEK'S MASS: ALL SCHOOL MASS, Wednesday, 12/12, 9am @ SSND 

***PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED DATES: MARK YOUR CALENDARS: CHRISTMAS BREAK: 12/24-1/1/19, back to school on 1/2/19***

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: 7-12 students only: NOON dismissal on 1/17 and 1/18 due to semester exams. Please arrange for transportation for your 7-12 grade students.
CLASS OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to Mrs. Campeau's 9th grade advisory class! They were chosen for Class of the Month for their outstanding efforts and donations during the coat drive.



ST. NICHOLAS VISIT
Elementary students enjoyed a very special visitor on Wednesday!




5-12 GRADE VIKINGS DAY- MO ND AY, 12/10
Monday, 12/10 will be a casual/Vikin gs Day in preparation for the big "Monday Night Football" game versus the Seahawk s.  This is for grades 5-12.  Stude nts who wear Vikings gear can enter their name in a drawing for prizes.

PRESCHOOL OFFERINGS
If you are interested in enrolling in Loyola preschool classes next year, please take a minute to complete this short survey to help us determine our families' needs. Thank you!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED- SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR LOYOLA & THE COMMUNITY!
Loyola night at the Sibley Park Kiwanis Lights is Saturday Dec. 22.  We still need volunteers to help out during two shifts, 4:30 - 7:30 and 7:15 until it closes which usually occurs around 10:00.  Volunteers must be at least 12 years old.  All volunteers under the age of 16 must have an adult with them at all times.  They do a great job rotating people in and out to prevent one from getting too cold.  Those who have participated in this in past have found it incredibly fun and rewarding. This is a great family activity and a way to show your support for Loyola and the community!  If you are interested in signing up for a shift contact Sue Goebel at  sgoebel@loyolacatholicschool.org

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS AND PROGRAMS
Friday, December 7 7pm 9-12 Choir Concert, SSND Chapel
Tuesday, December 11 7pm (6:30pm report) 5-12 Band Concert, Loyola gym
Wednesday, December 12 1:30pm 5-8 Choir Concert, Loyola Chapel
Thursday, December 20 10am Preschool/PreK Christmas Program, Loyola gym
Thursday, December 20 1:30pm K-4 Christmas Program, Loyola gym


UPCOMING SCRIP DATES
Order by 9pm December 30, pick up Friday, January 4, 2019 

The SCRIP order dates for the next year have been updated on the Loyola website- click here for a complete list.

WEATHER RELATED SCHOOL CLOSING POLICY
Reminder: we follow District 77's decisions on school closings related to weather. Please be sure to pay attention to local media outlets for closing information. The District 77 letter can be found here.

Counselor News


Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time-friction she knew all too well.
In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts youth development and offers solutions on how adults can empower their kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

Who: students (6th-12th grades only), their parents, and any adults who work with them
When: Monday, December 17th, 2018
Where: Mankato West High School Auditorium
Cost: $5 students/ $10 adult
Please note, no one under the age of 10 will be admitted in the auditorium.
Click here for more information and to register.

Athletics/Activities/Clubs News
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN DVD
Click here for the order form. $10 each. Please return to the main office.




KNOWLEDGE BOWL
Knowledge Bowl team Loyola Royal Blue (Micah Rentschler, Jerrid Buhs, Luke Vetter, Brendan Kane, and Alexander Backman) took first place at the first meet of the season earlier this week. The meet was held at Fitzgerald and hosted by New Ulm schools.
Loyola Blau team came in 11th, only one point away from placing in the top 10. Loyola also had a 'young' team of 10th graders come in 20th out of 36 teams.



BAND/CHOIR 


 Be sure to check our Activities Calendar for upcoming events and activities! Come out and show your Crusader pride!
SSND NEWS




SPIRIT SHOP NEWS
Shop the online Spirit Shop! Click  here

Be sure to  follow the Spirit Shop on Facebook for updates!

Questions?  e mail the Spirit Shop

Stay Connected!

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Quick References
ATTENDANCE LINE:
507-386-5312
PRESCHOOL/PReK NEWS
GINGERBREAD HOUSES
 
 


RINGING THE BELLS
Thank you for your service, preschoolers!



MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
December
12/20 Christmas Program 10:00am
12/21-1/2/19: NO SCHOOL

Elementary K-6  News
5th GRADE SCIENCE- OWL PELLETS- PART 2
After dissecting owl pellets, 5th graders combined the contents to determine the consumed prey:












ELEMENTARY CHRISTMAS CONCERTS/PROGRAMS
Tuesday, Dec. 11 7pm (6:30pm report) 5-12 Band Concert, Loyola gym
Wednesday, Dec 12 1:30pm 5-8 Choir Concert, Loyola Chapel
Thursday, Dec 20 1:30pm K-4 Christmas Program, Loyola gym


Secondary 7-12  News

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
7-12 students only: NOON dismissal on 1/17 and 1/18 due to semester exams.
Please arrange for transportation for your 7-12 grade students.


8-11 GRADE PARENTS: MINNESOTA STUDENT SURVEY INFORMATION
Loyola Catholic School is asking students in grades 8, 9 and 11 to participate in the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey (MSS). Federal law requires us to notify parents of this school activity. The MSS is conducted in schools across our state every three years.
Questions on the survey are about many topics relating to young people's lives. The survey asks about how well school is going, future plans, out-of-school activities, physical and mental health, relationships, substance use and more. High school students are asked about sexual behavior. This useful information about their thoughts and behaviors helps communities and schools develop effective programs and provide better services.
Date(s) the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) will be administered: January 22-25 in class.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact: Adam Bemmels at 507-388-0600
You have the right to review a copy of the survey. For details on how to do this, please contact Adam Bemmels.
This survey is anonymous. To prevent individuals or families from being identified, students do not provide their names, student identification numbers or other personal information.
This survey is voluntary. You may choose to have your child not take the survey by completing and returning  this completed form . Students may also decline to take any part of the survey or the whole survey. They are informed of that option by staff. If you do not want your child to take the Minnesota Student Survey, please return the form to: the School Office
by  December 14, 2018.

9th GRADE RETREAT
This week, Loyola 9th graders participated in the Youth Frontiers Respect Retreat. The focus of the day was respecting yourself, respecting others and standing up for respect.

The retreat included a dynamic mix of activities designed to have the greatest impact on participants, including community-building activities to foster stronger relationships, skill-building activities to enhance self-awareness, large-group presentations to learn through the power of storytelling, small group discussions led by trained leaders, and journaling and reflection time to help students apply respect to their own lives. 
Special thanks to our senior class leaders for helping to facilitate the retreat!




CHRISTMAS CONCERTS; MARK YOUR CALENDARS: 
9-12 CHOIR CONCERT
Friday, December 7, 7pm @ SSND Chapel
5-12 GRADE BAND CONCERT
Tuesday December 11 7pm. Call time is 6:30pm for students. 
Concert Attire:
GRADES 7-12:
Boys: Black shoes, black socks, black pants, white button down dress shirt, solid black tie.
Girls: Black dress shoes (flats are preferable), black skirt or pants (skirts must go down past the knee), white dress top.

5-8 GRADE CHOIR CONCERT 
Wednesday, December 12 1:30pm
7/8 Grade Choir Concert Attire:
Boys - black pants, black shoes, black socks, black collared shirt and white tie. Ties can be purchased at school for $5.
Girls - Black pants and white shirt

PARKING PERMITS
students who are getting their driver's license should stop in the office to get a parking permit.  They are pro-rated as the year goes on.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Loyola's night to volunteer for the Kiwanis Holiday Lights is Saturday Dec. 22nd.  If you are interested in working a shift contact Sue Goebel  Families are welcome but volunteers must be 16 to work the night shift. We are also looking for volunteers of any age to help set up and take down the displays.  Weekend shifts will be available in October and November for set up and after New Years for take down.   If your family has a Saturday or Sunday they would be available contact Sue Goebel.

Sophomores and Juniors:  The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences Career Immersion program is a fabulous opportunity!  If you are chosen for this program, it gives you 5 days exploring 15 different health science careers!  It is a FREE program. The dates for this summer are June 23-28, 2019. Preference goes to first generation, students of color, low income, and GPAs between 2.75-3.75, but every current sophomore or  junior who is interested in the health sciences is encouraged to apply by Feb. 28th-the earlier the better!

Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences Career Immersion program
The Career Immersion program is now open and accepting applications for 2019 through March 1, 2019.  The Career Immersion program is designed for students to learn about other careers in the healthcare field.  Many high school students already know about a doctor or nurse but may not know about a Sonography, Histology Technician, Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist and that is what this program is designed to do. Students get to spend one week on the Mayo Clinic campus exploring over 15 different careers and also getting to network with professionals and other students in the cohort with them.
The following link gives you more information and the link to the application:   www.mayo.edu/careerimmersion  
Mark Your Calendars
 


Elementary Mass: 1pm  Wednesdays 
Secondary Mass: 10:40am Wednesdays
unless otherwise noted.
Parents are always welcome to join us for Mass. Please check in at the Reception desk.

The  first Friday of every month is K-12 Spirit Day.
K-6 students may be out of uniform if they are wearing spirit wear. 

Please be sure you are checking the
Community Calendar  for all upcoming events!
HOME & SCHOOL NEWS
CLASSROOM WISH LISTS
The Home & School Association would like to share an idea with you that will provide learning tools that directly benefit our children's classrooms. Over the years our teachers have received many unique and thoughtful gifts from students and families. The kindness and generosity have always been greatly appreciated each year. But teachers purchase materials for their classroom because they LOVE teaching and want to have the BEST classrooms for our children. This year,  IF  you are thinking of purchasing a holiday gift for a teacher, please consider one of the following ideas that are linked here.


FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Home & School is looking for a few people to help plan Family Fun Night on the Hill. The event usually takes place the last weekend of January or the first weekend in February so it coincides with Catholic Schools Week.Stephanie Wright can help plan, get the funding and help find volunteers but she will not be in town either of the weekends.   Email her for more information.

Click  here for the H&S informational flyer