XMS - Weekly Newsletter

Middle School

Weekly Newsletter

8/17/22

Praise to You, God, for long warm days,

for buzzing bees and chirping crickets,

for shade trees and gentle breezes.

Praise to You for the earth’s rotation,

for our cycle around the sun,

for “sun, moon, and stars in their courses above.”

Praise to You for the order of the universe,

the variety of the seasons,

and the gift of another summer. - Guideposts

May you experience God’s blessings as you enjoy these last days of summer vacation.

XMS Staff

We have some new staff members on our XMS team! Jennifer Much will be teaching 8th grade Language Arts, and Nicole O’Toole will be the 8th grade Science teacher. We also welcome Carrie Hildeman to 5th grade Art, Dave Brosman as our 6th grade Science teacher, and Matt Rathsack as our 7th grade Math teacher. You will hear more about these wonderful additions if your child is in their class. We look forward to a great year with an awesome team!

Parent Night - Wednesday, September 7th

We hope you can mark your calendars and join us for Parent Night on Wednesday, September 7th, 6:30-8:00. This is a great night for you to hear our middle school philosophy and meet the teachers who interact with your child.

Drop Off/Pick up Procedures

With our location on a corner and the parameters of our parking lot, we have worked to outline procedures for the safety of our Xavier Middle School students during drop-off and pick-up. The map indicating our drop-off procedures was sent home in the family folder and is linked on our website and at the bottom of the newsletter. Please refer to this document and take any needed direction from the staff on duty. If we all follow the procedure and have patience, we will get 400 students in and out of our school safely!

Here are a few reminders:

Drop off or Pick up on Greenfield (by the tennis courts)

Please stay in a line by the sidewalk facing the school. Your child will walk down the sidewalk to your car, you will leave, and the line will move up. Do not double park or park on the south side of the street.

Northland Drop off

For drop-off, please join the car line as listed on the map. If you need to park and allow more time for your child to exit the vehicle, please park against the tennis courts, not in the center parking slots.

Northland pick up

For pick up, you need to park because the carline process does not work when all kids are being dismissed at the same time. Park anywhere in the lot, and preferably pull through to the second slot if you can so that you do not need to back up. When the kids come out of the school, staff will hold them there and at interval times, allow students who see their vehicle to cross the parking lot for pick up.

These procedures may seem confusing to new parents! With patience, we will get it right. Please realize that these procedures are important in keeping our students safe.

Backpacks, Lockers and Cell Phones

Students have been assigned a locker by their KIDS group advisor. Students may decorate the inside of their locker, but we ask that they use magnets and sticky tac in lieu of tape. Students are to keep their backpacks, books, jacket, etc. in the locker. Backpacks will not be carried class to class.

Cell phones need to be kept in the locker. If for some reason a student needs to contact you, a teacher may allow him/her to take the cell phone into the classroom to text or call. Students can also use the school phone in the office.

New Student Orientation Grades 6 – 8

Students who are in 6th-8th grade and are new at XMS will have orientation on Monday, Aug 22nd from 10 am – 12 pm. Students will be able to learn about the school, meet staff, and become familiar with school procedures. Lunch will be provided. Students should be dropped off by the middle school office, please use door #1.

5th Grade Orientation

Orientation for our 5th graders will be on Tuesday, Aug 23rd from 8 am – 11 am. A planned WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) program will help make the transition from elementary to middle school a positive one! Students will meet in the cafeteria first, then transition to the gymnasium. Parents are also invited to stay for a friendly social between 8 am – 9 am in the cafeteria to network with other parents and meet Mrs. Meyer and Mr. VanNuland.

6th Grade Camp

The 6th-grade camp retreat will be held at the Diocese of Green Bay’s Camp Tekakwitha from Tuesday, September 6th to Wednesday, September 7th. (Please note September 5th is Labor Day). The student cost will be $60.00 which includes food, lodging, and programming. Wisconsin Parental Choice Families, this fee is paid as part of your participation in the program. Paper copies of the Information Letter, Permission Form, Medical Form, and Chaperone Volunteer Form have been mailed to your home and are also linked for your convenience. There is a $25 fee for chaperones.

Checks should be made payable to Xavier Catholic Schools and returned to XMS by Friday, Aug. 26, 2022

The objectives of this camp are to build community and solidarity, enrichment of the curriculum, and inner spiritual growth for each individual student. If your student is in need of any modification(s) or accommodation(s) to meet these objectives, please do not hesitate to contact Bill Van Nuland, Associate Principal wvannuland@xaviercatholicschools.org, or Amy Krull, XMS Campus Minister, at akrull@xaviercatholicschools.org so that we can work with you.

Locker Night - Tuesday, August 23rd

Locker Night is a time for students to bring their supplies to their locker and meet their teachers. In Powerschool starting the week of August 8th, you will see the KIDS group advisor and room number. This is the homeroom for your child and where his/her locker will be located. Staff will help direct you as needed. Students can come anytime between 5:00 pm - 7:00pm. We look forward to seeing you!

XMS Picture Day

School pictures will be taken at XMS during Locker Night on Tuesday, August 23rd from 5:00 pm-7:00 pm. Students can come to the auditorium for their picture before or after visiting their locker and KIDS group classroom. Students should dress appropriately for pictures, and bring their photo order envelope along with payment to give to the photographer. Every student should have a picture taken regardless of whether a package is being purchased.

Family Envelopes

Family envelopes containing important school information and forms are now available to pick up in the front lobby. Please look over the information and fill out the forms which need to be returned by the first day of school, Wednesday, August 24th. Information for ordering school photos will also be included. These should be filled out and brought to the photographer with payment on Locker Night Tuesday, August 23rd.

XMS Soccer Coach

Xavier Middle School is searching for someone with soccer knowledge to coach our 7/8 grade coed team this Fall. If you are interested, please contact Athletic Director, Billie Muñoz at bmunoz@xaviercatholicshools.org. Let’s go Hawks!!!!

Xavier Catholic School Volunteer Procedure

If you would like to volunteer in any capacity at Xavier Catholic Schools, we would love to have you! Our Safe Environment Program has a process that all potential volunteers are required to complete BEFORE volunteering. Please click here for more information.

VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics is a worldwide game and competition program where teams design, build, program, and operate a robot in an arena. Teams compete with and against each other to achieve game objectives, earning points for reaching specific goals. General VEX robotics information can be found at www.vexrobotics.com.

Parent Informational Meeting - September 1st

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Xavier Middle School Auditorium

This meeting is for parents to learn more about and ask questions about our VEX Robotics Club. Please click here to sign your child up for VEX Club. Deadline for signup is September 9th. On September 15th, we will host the Coaches and Team Meeting in the library. Please click here for more information.

St. Bernadette Bus Registration

The St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System will once again offer busing for the 2022-2023 school year from the St. Bernadette parish to the high school, middle, and elementary school campuses. Click the link below to register:

2022-2023 St. Bernadette Bus Registration

2022-2023 Meal Program Changes

Please note a few important changes to the breakfast and lunch meal programs offered at Xavier Catholic Schools for the 2022-23 school year.

The federal waivers that provided free breakfast and lunch to students expired in June 2022. So, for the 2022-23 school year, we will return to our regular participation in the federal lunch program. This means that the Xavier System will be going back to paid lunches for students who do not qualify for free and reduced meals. The cost for these meals will be $3.15 with reduced prices set at $0.40.

If you wish to apply to participate in the Free and Reduced Lunch Program, an online link will be available on our website. We will no longer be accepting paper applications. Our office will be mailing each family an information packet with the website link to apply for those benefits in August.

Families can now add money to lunch accounts using checking/savings or credit cards through their Blackbaud Tuition account. Please visit the Lunch Program website for more information.

In addition, we will not be participating in the school breakfast program for the 2022-23 academic year. Breakfast meals will not be available for students in the new school year.

Fall Sports

School is soon upon us and that means Fall sports. If your child is interested in playing volleyball, cross country or 7th/8th grade coed soccer please click here to get them signed up. They will need a sports physical and concussion baseline testing done before they will be able to practice.

School Directory

The school directory will be underway when school gets started. For each student we will include their name and grade, their parents’ names, email address(es), and phone numbers. If you do not want to be included in the directory, or want to include/leave out specific information, please email Mrs. Cerdan at vcerdan@xaviercatholicschools.org by Monday, September 12th. Thank you.