THE FRIDAY REVIEW

St. Rose School

December 10, 2021

"Prepare the way for the Lord make his paths straight."

• - Luke 3:4

Greetings from Mr. G

We recognized two important feast days this week -- St. Nicholas and the Immaculate Conception. Our Blessed Mother is the epitome of goodness. Her "yes" to God began our salvation story. St. Nicholas, though his heart of giving, is a wonderful example of how God wants us to serve others. How blessed we are to incorporate faith in every aspect of school life. These seeds take deep root and create beautiful blooms.

I hope you received the School Financial Update that was sent on Sunday, December 5th. It is on our school website at the request of Bishop Caggiano, School Finances :: St. Rose School (stroseschool.com). There are many budget challenges for Catholic Schools; we strive to keep ours balanced to ensure a healthy present and future for all students who walk these halls. I am pleased with the results of of our 2020-2021 financial report. Your partnership is critical in this process. Thank you for for your support.

Please note that on December 15th registration for 2022-2023 will open for current school families. You are very special to us and we want you to continue the learning journey here at St. Rose School. As such, the registration fee will be discounted to $150 December 15th through January 14th. On January 15th registration will open to the public and the registration fee increases to $250 at which point we can no longer guarantee a seat for your child. Our Open House is Sunday January 30, 2022. Stay tuned for an email with all of the details. If you have questions please email Mrs. Coppola, admissions@srles.com.

As I mentioned last week, we have been discussing and practicing safety protocols at school. It's important for students to be knowledgeable about the processes involved and comfortable in executing them. We would appreciate your help in reinforcing these measures at home. Thank you, also, for following the car drop off and pick up protocols. We take the safety of every child and family member very seriously. Car Walk Procedures Car Walk map. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the school.

We are still relishing the success of #Giving Tuesday. This money puts a dent in our $150,000 goal to balance the budget and keep tuition reasonable. Thank you to all who have donated -- we can't do it without you! Please share the word about our $10,000 Tuition Raffle which is running through January 30th. Tickets will be on sale after Friday masses and all weekend masses. If every family can help us sell 2 tickets we can meet the 350 maximum which means a $25,000 profit for our school.

Many good works are being done during the days of Advent. On Wednesday, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Mrs. Ferriter took five of the 8th grade girls to Church Hill Village where they worked, one on one, with residents on a beautiful art project. The residents were overjoyed by the time they spent with our students reminding us that the gift of service is the greatest gift of all.

As you heard in my email on Wednesday, we will have a remote day of learning on Tuesday December 14th. This is a difficult day for our community and especially for those families who lost their loved ones in the tragedy. We are following the decision of the Board of Education and Dr. Rodrigue which has been confirmed by the Diocese. The information and advice was explained very well in the letter posted in the Newtown Bee. Click here to read Newtown announcnement. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions or concerns please email your child's teachers. Let us offer prayers for peace, protection and healing on this and every day.

Please remember important upcoming dates: We are excited for our Christmas concert on Thursday December 16th (see information below) in the church which is also available via livestream. On Wednesday December 22 we will celebrate Christmas Mass at 9:00 a.m.. This is a DRESS UP day and full day of school. Thursday December 23rd is Buddy Christmas Bingo and early dismissal at 11:30 a.m. School will resume January 3, 2022.

In closing I want to say that life is truly a mystery filled with joys and sorrows. Sometimes these emotions come simultaneously as is the case this week. Last night Mrs. Rahtelli welcomed her first grandchild, Carmine James, into the world and this morning she saw her dear Mother Eileen Cashin into her heavenly life. We extend our condolences and congratulations with love and prayers to Mrs. Rahtelli and her family. We also welcome Anya Gordon into the St. Rose family. Anya is baby sister to Third grade student Ava. May God grant these new babies a healthy, happy life and send blessings upon their parents and families always.

Congratulations to all students who were recognized at Mass this morning for their Honor and High Honor rol status. We commend your hard work and dedication.

It's a beautiful time of the year -- enjoy all of the magical moments!

God Bless,

Mr. G

Important Dates & Reminders

December 16th -- Christmas Concert in the Church, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Students should arrive in designated dress by 5:45 p.m.

December 22nd -- 9:00 a.m. Christmas Mass, Dress Up day, full day of School

December 23rd -- Buddy Bingo, Early dismissal, 11:30 a.m.

Adventures in Student Life

Honor Roll photos

Christmas activity photos

Classroom News

Children's Nativity Christmas Eve -- Need children to be in the pageant! Call the Rectory for Information, 203-426-1014.

Children's Monthly Rosary

Holiday Lights, Newtown Chamber of Commerce December 11/12 @ Fairifield Hills

EXTRA! EXTRA! DID YOU HEAR?

The St. Rose School Rams Spirit Store is Open! Click here to shop now through 12/23! Questions? Email Athletics@srles.com

HSA NEWS

Dear SRS Community,

Did someone say “shopping”?  Scrip is a convenient and easy way to get all the gift cards you need this holiday season while earning money for SRS.  Today is the last day to place an order for delivery just in time for Christmas on December 17th.  

Please 1) Email a completed order form, questions or a list of desired cards to scrip@srles.com by the end of today. If a retailer is not on the  form, but available at the link above, simply request it. 

2) Pay via the RaiseRight app (www.raiseright.com) or login to your account at  https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/.   The SRS enrollment code is 17483LD69533. You can also send a check to school made payable to St Rose HSA.  For a complete list of SCRIP retailers and gift card denominations, click here:  https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/Shop/Product/Browse 

Please contact the SCRIP team with questions. 

Please all mark your calendars for the next Bingo night which is on January 21st.  We promise an evening full of fun while raising money for SRS!

We would like to thank Lori Ohlson and Josephine Usiak for putting together such lovely Thanksgiving “thank you” treats for the faculty and staff on behalf of all St. Rose families.

Your HSA Board,

Kate O'Connor, President

Isabel Almeida, Vice President

Dave Budzynski, Treasurer

Carrie Sirois, Secretary

Scrip Christmas order form

BLOOMS FUND

Have you purchased your $10,000 Tuition Raffle ticket? If not, this is the weekend -- tickets are on sale after all masses! We are counting on everyone in our school community to help sell tickets. If every family can sell 2 tickets we'd meet our maximum number -- 350! Please put the word out to friends, family and neighbors. The beauty of this raffle is that winnings can be applied to ANY K-12 school, college or university accredited in the United States. It can also be used to pay back student loans. Raffle trackers will be placed in each classroom next week. Let's work together to reach 350! Tickets can be purchased by calling the school office weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 203-426-5102, Friday masses, masses the weekends of December 11/12, January 15/16, January 22/23. Email raffle@srles.com with questions or to arrange a sale.

Click here for quick video

Bricks Make Great Gifts! The St. Rose Blooms Brick Walk is waiting for your family footprint -- help us pave the way to many bright futures and give a lasting gift. The Brick Walk will be by the Angel of Hope statue in front of the school. The first order has arrived but due to cold ground will not be installed until the spring. This means you can be a part of the initial installation if you order your bricks now! The website is open -- get a mock up of your brick in print to frame for a Christmas or birthday gift! Welcome to St. Rose of Lima School Website (polarengraving.com)

SNOW DAY FYI'S

Winter weather will bring interruptions in the upcoming weeks and months. As you know we have opted for eLearning days over snow/inclement weather or other emergency closing situations.

Teachers will contact you between 8:30-9:00am to let you know the plan for the day. Dismissal from eLearning will be between 12:30-1:00pm, depending on start time. We realize that these days can be tricky to maneuver, especially if you have more than one child needing to use devices. Based on this, teachers are working on plans that will include mini lessons, hands-on activities, independent paper and pencil work, and limited use of Edmentum, IXL, and online work.

We will do everything we can to reduce the need to print out PDFs or to take screenshots of completed work. Based on this we are making a recommendation that you have the following stored somewhere for use on these days. Blank paper, lined paper(grade appropriate, if possible), pencil, pen, coloring items, scissors, glue stick, and a small dry erase board (Dollar Tree has several options), dry erase marker, and something to use as an eraser (an old, lone sock; a small cotton makeup pa, etc.). These will allow great flexibility for the lessons and reduce a day of screen time, and printing. We hope that these days are few and far between; but, we are getting ready for whatever comes our way! Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. B with any questions.

PRESCHOOL CORNER

Santa has the sweetest helpers in the Preschool. Bell making, tree decorating and lessons in learning and love bring the Christmas spirit to life every day.

Please join us for our HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS party on December 22nd, 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the Gathering Hall.

If your child will be absent please inform the teacher, Nurse Bonnie and Mrs. Sweeting prior to 8:45 a.m. We appreciate everyone observing the drop off and pick up times which creates a smoother start and finish to our exciting days of school.

God bless!

NURSE NEWS

It's the time of year for sniffles, sneezes, fevers and more so it's important to review when to keep children home from school as well as when to send them back after being sick. Please review these FYIs.

New District Guidelines for Covid Exposure in Schools

Updated Travel Advisory

Covid vaccination sites around the state

Cold, Allergies or the Flu?

Covid Symptom Reminder

Adult Booster Clinic December 17th

CHRISTMAS CONCERT IS COMING!

We are extremely excited for our K-8th Grade Christmas concert on December 16th -- it will be a delightful evening to celebrate the season, in song and performances, together as a community! Here is the attire that evening:

• Kindergartners, First and Fourth Graders will be dressed in costume, these will be provided by the school, prior to the performance.
• Second and Third Graders should be dressed in festive holiday attire.
• Fifth-Eighth Grade Boys should wear black pants and either a red, green, or white dress shirt.
• Fifth-Eighth Grade Girls may wear, either black pants or skirt (short skirts should be proper length) with either a red, green, or white blouse. Girls may also choose to wear a holiday dress.

We look forward to sharing this uplifting experience with you -- how wonderful it will be to hear and watch our students singing and performing again!

Here is the layout for arrival that night:

4th grade (siblings can come too) at 4:30pm all other students can be dropped off at 5pm

The children will meet teachers in the Gathering Hall

The doors for families will open at 5:30pm

The concert will also be available via Livestream.

FINANCE CLUB ANNOUNCES MONOPOLY TOURNAMENT WINNERS!

A keen mind for investing must run in the family! Congratulations to our savvy investors Tomas Almeida (6th grade) and Mia Almeida (8th grade) for winning the Monopoly tournament. Their investments earned were $4,128 and $4,892. Way to go!