MESSAGE FROM NATHAN STURTZEL, PRINCIPAL

Hello, St .Pats Community! 

There are so many positives regarding faith and learning to share about St. Patrick Catholic School! March is a particularly special month this school year with lots of happenings... 

We continue to focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving as a school community through daily study and prayer, Rice Bowl collections, weekly Mass and Stations of the Cross, reconciliation, prayer services, bible studies, and more. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders will have a unique retreat experience with NET Ministries and St. Pats Youth Ministry as part of their faith formation for Lent. Grandparent Masses will be held in March, Grades 5-8 on March 13 and Grades JK-4 on March 27. We will also be celebrating our patron saint next week and this year we will be in-session for Holy Week and Good Friday, which will be a great opportunity. 

This past weekend 90 children and their families attended the First Communion Workshop in preparation for the sacrament next month. Dozens of volunteers were on hand to support Mrs. Joanie Hendricks and the Children’s Formation Ministry. Students and parents did hands-on activities to learn more about the sacred presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, including a “backstage pass” around the church to spaces like the tabernacle and the server sacristy. Everyone is excited! 

Our school continues to sharpen our focus and clarity on what students must learn and how they can demonstrate mastery. We want to invite our families and community into that process, which is why we began “public exhibitions of learning” this year. Each grade Kindergarten - 8th holds an exhibition that affords our students opportunities to articulate their deeper learning of a subject of study. Topics include disasters of the 2nd Industrial Revolution, literary symbolism of short stories through cake-baking, “boo”-graphies of famous Americans, favorite Saints, business and economics, energy transfer, animal research, and characterization in fiction. Just this week our 6th grade will present their annual Invention Convention and our 7th grade will be holding the Science Fair. Later this month we will also host our 2nd annual Family Learning Night for all parents and children interested in how they can better support learning at home in fun, engaging ways.  

We have also been celebrating examples of high achievement, including the Class of 2024’s strong performance on the High School Placement Test, multiple 3rd grade award winners for outstanding art pieces in the Kentucky Derby Museum’s Horsing Around with Art, 1st grade city winner in the St. Patrick Coloring Contest, CSAA championship winners and runner-ups in basketball, and a state-competition appearance later this month in Lexington for our Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) team. St. Pats Drama will also be presenting High School Musical, Jr. in just two weeks. Tickets go on sale beginning March 9th and can be purchased online: https://www.stpatdrama.com/.         

Did I mention this is all for the month of March? Thanks to so many reading this message for their involvement and prayers for our school. Faith and learning are alive and well, and we are blessed to be the Catholic community of St. Patrick. 

Go Celtics! 

Dr. Sturtzel

Principal 

Campus Update

MSD contractors and employees are on our campus working on eliminating pumping stations and installing sewer lines. This is a Lake Forest wide project that affects the front of our property near the entrance, Camp St Patrick and the outdoor Stations of the Cross. A portion of the lower parking lot (near Beckley Station Rd.) will be partitioned off with temporary fencing for MSD materials and supplies. MSD has strict guidelines when construction traffic can be on our property, so drop off and pickup for school should not be impacted by this project. No adults or students should be in the area of Camp St. Patrick or lower lots where equipment is housed and construction is taking place.

Supervision of Students During Fish Frys

Our fish frys continue to be a fun community event full of fresh, delicious food and well-spent time with fellow parishioners. 

As mentioned in prior Lenten seasons, we have a continuing problem with insufficient parental supervision of students during fish frys. Primary concerns regarding student behavior during fish frys are the following:

• Students playing on the playground, parking lots, hill or near the train tracks during fish frys;
• Students entering the school and/or attempting to enter the school at various entrance points around the building during fish fry hours;

These are obviously dangerous and inappropriate actions. It is the expectation that if a student is at the fish fry, his/her parent/guardian is also attending the fish fry. Dropping kids off at the fish fry without proper supervision is not acceptable. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your cooperation.

Staff Spotlight

Tony Schurfranz, Assistant Bookkeeper

What is something people do not know about you?

A lot of people know me from officiating basketball and volleyball. But my first love was baseball. I was fortunate to work as an umpire during the Championship game of the 1990 Little League World Series. Baseball will always be a part of my life as my daughter loves it as much as I do. It is great being able to bond with your kids over a passion that you both love. Even as we grow older, and she lives six (6) hours away in Atlanta, we still talk about the Braves and the Reds.

What is your favorite scripture or prayer and why?

1 Corinthians 13:13

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

My wife and I believe in this passage so much, we decided to have it etched in our mantle above the fireplace. Can you even imagine, what our world could be if everyone lived by these words? With our busy lives, we tend to get into a routine. I try and remember that love excludes no one. John Keats said it best when describing love. “In dreams and in love, there are no impossibilities.” ”Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

What do you love most about your ministry/serving at St. Patrick?

Without a doubt the greatest part of my job are the people I get to be around each day. It is a huge joy to serve the parish of St. Patrick; from the school staff, to the parish office, to the parishioners. Being new to St. Patrick, I am awed in how the staff delivers on every occasion. I have seen just about every staff member have a hand in making sure a funeral at St. Patrick is nothing short of perfection. I have witnessed teachers and parent volunteers work well into the weekend for the benefit of your child. And most importantly, I get to view the generosity of the parishioners, not only with their treasure, but how much time and love they give to St. Patrick. It is truly my honor to serve the parish of St. Patrick.

To learn more about Tony and the ministries he is involved with, go to https://stpatlou.org/tony-schurfranz

Stewardship Weekly - 3/3/2024

Fielding the Future

Our Celtic Athletic Ministry (CAM) and Concession Ministry are teaming up during the Lenten Fish Fry season to help raise funds to purchase a new walk-in freezer that serves many events and activities around campus. In addition, funds raised will help offset the cost of sporting equipment for student athletes and keep sports registration at an affordable rate for families. Check out the auction items and raffles on the link. Drawing for raffles ends on March 15.

Parish: (502) 244-6083

ourparish@stpatlou.org

1000 North Beckley Station Road,

Louisville, KY 40245

School: (502) 244-7083

www.school.stpatlou.org