October 22, 2020 - News & Notes |
|
From The Desk Of Principal Kerr |
|
What an exciting week this has been! Our first snowfall did not disappoint; we are in the middle of parent/teacher conferences; and so much excellent learning is going on in our school:
The 4th graders had a virtual visit from a St. Michael alum, Grant Schipper, who is now working as an environmental engineer. He shared his expertise via Zoom with our 4th graders who are building STEM skills by learning the engineering process and creative thinking skills to develop solutions to real-life problems facing Earth’s water systems.
The primary grades are designing a mask for Father Tom in art class and Mrs. Olmanson will actually produce the mask that Fr. Tom chooses. We’ll be watching to see him sporting his new mask!
The preschoolers are culminating their tree study--they have learned the parts of a tree and have even built a tree in one of the classrooms, with bark, leaves roots and all!
The first graders have some pretty tough spelling words this week, and were drawing pictures with their spelling words hidden in the scenes.
In middle school the kids are working on planning a virtual Veteran’s Day celebration, studying verb conjugation in Spanish class, and keeping Mrs. Roseen busy differentiating instruction to meet the needs of our high fliers in math!
The 6th graders are learning to play the guitar in music class. They are up to 3 chords, and prepping to learn some Christmas music. Mrs. Murray is seeing some real talent emerging, and parents, you might see guitars showing up on Christmas lists. They are also working on developing mental maps of Minnesota in social studies class as part of their study of Minnesota history. Mr. Olson wants them to have a strong sense of where important cities, towns, lakes and rivers are across our state. It is such a cool project!
In other news: A lost kitten was heard meowing all day Tuesday outside the pre-k and 1st grade classroom windows. After conferences Tuesday night a rescue operation was underway, and after 35 minutes of digging through snow covered shrubs by the light of cell phone flashlights, Mrs. Lind and Mrs. Brower were able to pull him out and get him to the Prior Lake Pet Hospital for care.
Parents, thank you for sharing your children with us and allowing us to partner with you in their education. Our St. Michael Blues are great kids, and the best part of my days are when I get to spend time with them!
This is a huge weekend for fans of our Minnesota Golden Gopher Football Team! Saturday night we battle for the Little Brown Jug at TCF Bank Stadium. I wish I could be there in person, but I’ll be decked out in maroon and gold and rooting for a big victory over the Michigan Wolverines! God bless your families this weekend, go Gophers, and go Blues!
Mrs. Kerr
|
|
2nd Annual Trunk or Treat |
|
Calling all Spooky-Fun Trunks!
When: Friday, October 30
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. (setup starts at 4:30 p.m.)
Where: St. Michael Catholic School's Bus Parking Lot
We are looking for trunks to help make our 2nd annual Trunk ‘r Treat fun and special for our kids! Please sign your trunk up and plan to hand out a pre-packaged (no homemade) treat to pass out to the Treaters!
To help keep this event safe for all, we ask that treats are passed out with a gloved hand and that trunk families sanitize often.
If you have any questions please call or email Erin at:
· 612-396-1800 (call or text)
|
|
Grades K-4 Halloween Costume Parade! |
|
Our classroom parties will definitely look different this year. In order to make it special the K-4 teachers, along with Mrs. Kerr, have agreed to a Halloween Costume Parade that will take place at 1:00 pm on October 30th (during our scheduled party). We will walk the block around school, weather permitting of course! Because we aren't able to invite parents into the school for classroom parties, parents are welcome to park around the school or block to see their child participate in the Costume Parade.
Reminder: Costumes MUST be worn OVER their uniforms. Students cannot use the bathrooms to change (per covid). If it's cold they might need an extra layer. Please keep this in mind for your costume planning. Students have the option to use an out of uniform pass that day if they don't want their uniform under their costume.
Please contact your child's teacher if you have questions.
|
|
Dear Parents,
Veterans Day is a special day at St. Michael Catholic School each year. We will celebrate Veteran's Day on Wednesday, November 11th at Mass at 7:50 AM. We ask that all follow the COVID-19 protocol and wear their masks and use social distancing. Unfortunately we are unable to have the usual large gathering and meet and greet like we normally do.
The new format is as follows:
All students, Preschool through 8th grade, may invite Veterans to Mass at the Church at 7:50 AM on Wednesday, November 11th. Please RSVP using the attached form and return it to Mr. Olson and Mrs. Roseen as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, November 2nd. There will also be forms available in the office.
The 6th-8th graders and all Veterans will be the only ones able to attend Mass. This is due to limited spacing at church. Parents and family members will not be able to attend in person but will be invited to attend virtually using St. Michael Catholic Church YouTube channel. Sorry for any inconvenience. Preschool through 5th grade students will attend this special Mass virtually from the classroom.
Before Mass there will be an overhead display that runs continuously thanking all Veterans and showing the names of the Veterans and their family members at St. Michaels. We will honor them in the song “America the Beautiful” during this time.
We understand that it is difficult for our Veterans and families to be separate from each other this year. Our hearts go out to all of you during these unprecedented times. We want our Veterans to attend to show them how much we love, honor and respect their Patriotism and Sacrifice for our Nation. They are always in our prayers.
Sincerely,
Principal Kerr
Mr. Olson
Mrs. Roseen
|
|
Wednesday Early Release Day
Wednesday Early Dismissal Care & Homework Time
St. Michael Catholic School has an early release every Wednesday afternoon with bus transportation available only at the early dismissal time of 12:15 pm. We will plan to have Wednesday Early Dismissal Care and Homework Time available for students who need to stay at school from the early dismissal time (12:15) to the end of the regular school day (2:15) *REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. We are offering this for families who do not have other options available for Wednesday afternoons. If you are able to have your child come home at 12:15, please do so, as the teachers are finding the Wednesday afternoon planning time especially necessary this year.
At 2:15 students will go to their normal car line pickup lot or to Adventures Plus (AP). Students wishing to attend AP also must be pre-registered. (Regular Adventures Plus fees will apply after 2:15).
If a child needs to be picked up prior to 2:15, we ask that you call the office so that one of our staff members can bring your child safely to their car line pickup zone.
Sign-up for November is closed.
November Early Release Care is full. The December signups for Wednesday Early Dismissal Care will be available soon and will be due the 15th of November.
In order to ensure proper staffing and the safety of all students we request no late enrollment.
|
|
2020 St. Michael's Blues & White Gala is NOT cancelled!
Save the Date:
February 13, 2021
With the pandemic, rules and restrictions around gatherings and how many people venues can hold, we will be having a Virtual Gala.
We need volunteers to make this event successful. The more volunteers, the lighter the workload and the bigger the success.
Plus this is a great way to connect with our parent community!
|
|
LUNCH AND RECESS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
We still have many empty spots to fill; your help is needed!
- Lunchroom and kitchen every day from 10:30am - 12:45pm. If you are available midday, please sign up using the Sign-Up Genius button below.
- Recess from 11:10am - 1:10. Please use the Sign-up Genius button below.
All volunteers must be up to date on Virtus training. See section below for more information. Please visit virtusonline.org to log in or to create and account and complete the required steps to be a volunteer.
|
|
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO SANITIZE CHURCH
We are looking for volunteers to sanitize the church after school Masses on Wednesdays. If you are able to help please click on the link below to sign-up.
|
|
Scrip shopping the easy way with the new mobile app:
RaiseRight by ShopWithScrip
RaiseRight is simply the right way to fundraise for our organization. Shop gift cards from more than 750 top brands to earn on your daily purchases—right from your phone.
- Turn your shopping list into fundraising
- Discover new earning opportunities every day
- Narrow your search with categories that fit your everyday shopping needs
- Easily browse brands offering bonus earnings
- Add brands you love to your Favorites for faster shopping
- Manage your gift cards in one place: your Wallet
Purchased Scrip online before? Pick up right where you left off. Sign in with your same ShopWithScrip username and password. Access your gift cards right away. And check out with payment information already saved to your account.
|
|
Lunchroom Helper
Lunchroom helper wanted for scanning barcodes for student lunches and washing tables in between lunch groups . Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 10:30 am - 12:45 pm. Wednesdays 10:30 am - 12:00. 10 ½ Hours Per Week.
For more information or to apply please contact Sue Kerr at (952)447-2124 or kerr@saintmpl.org
|
|
Preschool Substitutes Needed
Faithful Beginnings Preschool at St. Michael Catholic Church is looking for qualified subs for the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.
Substitutes are required to have the following in order to sub in preschool:
-Essential 3 through the Archdiocese
-DHS background study and fingerprints
-Pediatric first aid/CPR
-Child development training
-Orientation/policies/procedures/allergies
-Abusive Head Trauma
-Cultural training
-Disability training
Full job description available by contacting our Preschool Director Ashely Lind. To apply, please send your resume to ashleylind@saintmpl.org
|
|
Greetings from Academy of Holy Angels! Academy of Holy Angels is hosting two small gathering Open Houses on Thursday, October 22nd and Thursday, October 29th. We ask interested families (2 parents/guardians and student) to pre-register by following this link https://forms.gle/7UQnyqfPYayFaPWbA also found on our website. To keep our families safe, we are limiting our attendance and are asking parents to sign up for only one of our 4 times each Open House (4:30 PM, 5:00 PM, 5:30 PM, 6:00 P.M.) If an evening event doesn’t work, we will be offering parent mornings in November as well—details to follow on our website. We look forward to welcoming you to campus! Questions: Please contact Meg Angevine, mangevine@ahastars.org or 612-798-0764.
|
|
We welcome you and your family to join us at our Fall Showcase on Monday, October 26 at 6PM. This is an excellent opportunity to tour our school and hear from various students, teachers, coaches, and administrators on the merits of a Saint Thomas Academy education. The Showcase will be available virtually as well. You may RSVP HERE.
To learn more about our application process, please visit ADMISSIONS. This link has information regarding the application, testing, and financial assistance. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding Saint Thomas Academy, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! I hope to see you soon.
--
Francie Reding | Associate Director of Admissions
James '17, Hayes '19, and Baker '21
Saint Thomas Academy
949 Mendota Heights Road | Mendota Heights, MN 55120
Cell: 843.324.9084
|
|
School Office: (952) 447-2124
24/7 Absentee Line: (952) 447-2230
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
