School Newsletter
May 29, 2020
Principal's Page
Dear Presentation Families,
 
As we are ending this current school year, I know that there are many questions about the next school year. I would like to share with you today a letter from Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Vicar for Catholic Education, and Dr Jason Slattery, Director of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. In this letter, they affirm their commitment to reopening Catholic school buildings at the start of the 2020-21 school year. At the recommendation of Catholic Schools Task Force and in partnership with our Catholic schools, the Archdiocese has begun responsible and prudent planning for a safe return to our Catholic school buildings with safety protocols and ongoing monitoring in place. Please see this letter, available in both English and Spanish , for more information.”

Next Friday, June 5 we will distribute the last newsletter for the 2019-20 school year.

Awards Ceremony

Please accept our most humble apologies about postponing the Awards Ceremony today. Administration had a communication breakdown and unfortunately it resulted in much frustration and upset for our families and students. As noted on Facebook this morning, we will be able to honor the 8 th grade awardees at their upcoming graduation on June 9. We know it will not be the same for them or for the many other students affected by this and we are truly sorry for that. If there is anything we can do to rectify this for you and your family, please let us know. Again, we are truly sorry.    

Panther Pride,

Mary and Gary


Third Trimester Grades

Middle School Report Cards will be mailed out next week. We had to adapt our current grading platform to accommodate the Pass/Fail for distance learning and that took a bit of time.

In the bigger picture, notice the acknowledgement of the pandemic and distance learning on the report cards. This is a reminder of the extraordinary circumstances for teaching, at home learning, and the tech issues involved in the third trimester. Attendance was not recorded in the normal way so there is no tally for the third trimester. All of these measures had to be taken into account for learning and grading, all while also remaining sensitive to the unique circumstances we have been living with for these past three months. Doesn’t that catch your breath to hear, three months?  

Staying sharp over the summer

While the roll out of IXL was challenging for some, part of the reason for adopting it was for families to have some way of keeping kids engaged over the summer. What does that mean? In normal circumstances we often hear about a “summer slide” where student achievement can decline up to 20-30% by not practicing skills keeping their long-term memory sharp. For some, they don’t read books, think about math drills, algorithms, or engage in critical or creative thinking for the three months of summer. If you think about it, rarely would we do that in sports. There would always be some sort of practice to keep skills sharp. This summer in particular it will be crucial to use those skills acquired during the 2019-2020 school year. Therefore, IXL accounts can be accessed over the summer. Social Studies and Science will be available through June and Math and Reading all summer long. Just 15 minutes/day will keep those skills sharp and enhance readiness for the next school year. Remember, the assessment that students took in April helps create a personal plan for each student’s academic needs on the IXL program. In addition, your Seesaw and Google classroom accounts will be available in case there are some assignments that were missed or you would like to revisit. Teachers will not be monitoring those accounts but that should not stop you from accessing them. 
Thank You Parents!!!
Student Awards

Attendance Folder:
Sophie Bradshaw

Morning Announcements:
Olivia Carle, Anthony Wessel

Flag Helpers:
Connor Barott, Maggie Major

Yearbook:
Genevieve Bradshaw, Olivia Carle, Adeline Heymans, Maggie Major, Gabe Unklesbay

Physical Education Excellence:
Elise Aflakpi, Noah Aguirre, Nichole Bertini, Noah Gabriel, Jonah Henslin, Adeline Heymans, Max Sixt, Zariah Thomas, Ella Weisser

Altar Servers:
Audrey Aflakpi, Connor Barott, Gadyel Bernal Sanchez, Nichole Bertini, John Boros, Olivia Carle, Noah Gabriel, Lillie Gruber Hjort, Adeline Heymans, Ryan Kaufman, Ryan Lancette, William Paslawski, Dominic Rehr, Aubrey Unklesbay

Choir:
Audrey Aflakpi, Elise Aflakpi, Johanna Babalola, Nichole Bertini, Sophia Boros, Genevieve Bradshaw, Violet Bradshaw, Izzy Carle, Olivia Carle, Brady Dworak, Delilah Erickson, Starla Eschiti, Sofie Hahn, Adeline Heymans, Marley Jagerson, Annika Johnson, Kayla Kane, Izzie Major, Maggie Major, Bony Mohammad, Katie Mueller, Amelia Nelson, Riley Parizek, William Paslawski, Samantha Schmidt, Maria Tkuchuck, Aubrey Unklesbay, Josie Wegwerth, James Williams

Student Council:
Elise Aflakpi, Audrey Aflakpi, Cienna Alsides, Connor Barrot, Nichole Bertini, Genevieve Bradshaw, Sophie Bradshaw, Olivia Carle, Donovin Diaz, Lillie Gruber Hjort, Adeline Heymans, Izzie Major, Maggie Major, Bony Mohammad, William Paslawski, Cassidy Reeves, Maria Tkuchuck, Aubrey Unklesbay, Josie Wegwerth, Anthony Wessel, James Williams

Panther Pride Awards:
Audrey Aflakpi, Elise Aflakpi, Connor Barrot, Gadyel Bernal Sanchez, Nichole Bertini, Genevieve Bradshaw, Sophie Bradshaw, Violet Bradshaw, Noah Campbell, Izzy Carle, Olivia Carle, Starla Eschiti, Noah Gabriel, Lillie Gruber Hjort, Logan Hargrove, Adeline Heymans, Ryan Kaufman, Izzie Major, Maggie Major, Sam Newton, William Paslawski, Cassidy Reeves, Maria Tkuchuck, Aubrey Unklesbay, Gabe Unklesbay, Josie Wegwerth, Eric Weisser, Anthony Wessel, Vincent Wessel, James Williams

Thank you to all of our students for their hard work, commitment, and excellent leadership!!
Presentation of Mary Discovery Center

Lake Area Discovery Center is celebrating 20 years of helping children grow in Gods love. Presentation of Mary Discovery Center has the program for you and your family. POM Discovery Center offers preschool for children ages 3, 4 and 5 as well as before and after school care. POM also offers care for infants and toddlers! POM Discovery Center seeks to support parents and children through a creative environment that promotes and teaches Christian values, honors diversity, and fosters fellowship within the greater community. Check out their website at:   https://ladcfamilies.org/  

During these unprecedented challenging times, LADC is currently open serving first responders in our community. Please join us in praying for these teachers who are helping those on the front lines, they are appreciated more than they can ever know.
2020-2021 Classroom Supply Lists
We are happy to let you know that for the 2020-2021 school year we will also be utilizing School Tool Box, an online, ship-to-your-home option for buying school supplies that is customized to each grade's supply list. More information will be forthcoming, watch your email for details!
Aim Higher Foundation Scholarship Opportunity

Aim Higher will begin accepting new TADS applications on June 1, 2020 through August 7, 2020. Unlike the first cycle, they will be awarding scholarships on a rolling basis throughout the summer to help more families make decisions about enrollment as soon as possible.

Families that have not yet applied for Aim Higher scholarships for this school year will follow the normal TADS application process.

Families that have already applied but have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19 will need to complete a two-step process so Aim Higher can review the updated circumstances. First—families will need to complete a form on the Aim higher website with the updated information. Second—they will need to log-on to TADS to upload the appropriate documents to verify their information.
Looking Ahead
Our Mission: The purpose of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary School is to provide a Catholic community that fosters the religious and academic development of the individual student in a safe and welcoming learning environment.
Our Philosophy: Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary School creates a supportive Catholic community committed to the Gospel message that calls us to faith, service, and worship. An environment of respect, peace and justice fosters an appreciation of God’s gift of life in all people. Each student is empowered to develop their own potential, which will lead to excellence in academics, athletic activities and the fine arts.