The timing was not ideal - notifying parents at the end of the day, and the resulting quarantine will cause an inconvenience to the affected families/students; however, it highlighted our need to be prepared but flexible in all we do.

I highly commend our school nurse, Elizabeth Pyles; assistant principal, Stephanie Woodall; the classroom teacher affected by the quarantine; and all the parents who we spoke with about the need to quarantine. Everyone involved demonstrated a high level of professionalism, commitment, and dedication to our school- recognizing the need to prioritize the health and safety of our students and staff. Thank you!

Moving forward, please continue to make sure your family has a plan in place if the need to quarantine your child’s classroom arises. As we learned, this can happen with little notice. Also, please continue to be in frequent communication with the school office and nurse if your child is experiencing any signs of illness. We will work very closely with you to give guidance on steps to take and what is necessary in order to return to school. Please join in me in continued prayer for the health and safety of our school community.  

God bless,

Corey
School News
School Masses Resume September 23rd

It has been six months since our Angels gathered together as a student body at Mass before our Lord. During this time, we hope that you have taken the opportunity to engage with our faith through Guardian Angels Parish Masses, a Mass around the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, or even around the world! With the return of many families to in-person Sunday Masses, and the reopening of school, we have been hard at work to take the natural next step of bringing our children back to celebrating liturgy together while at school. We are delighted to announce that, aligning with both school and parish protocols, our school Masses will resume September 23 and 24.

Because we have such a large church (1,234 is our fire code capacity), we are fortunate to provide our students with the opportunity to attend weekly Mass and other liturgies while maintaining the recommended distancing between students. Due to COVID-19 and the additional precautions we are taking to protect our students and staff, these Masses will be held privately for students and staff only. Two school Masses will be held each week: Wednesdays for grades 5-8 and Thursdays for grades K-4.

You will receive an email next week with detailed protocol information from our Religious Education office about the safety measures that will be taken during school Masses. Thank you, and please continue to pray for all our school community as we take this step together.
Parking Lot Procedures

Thank you for responding to the message in the Wednesday Herald about parking lot procedures. Your adjustments have helped make morning arrival and afternoon dismissal run more smoothly. Moving forward, here are some additional items to assist in the processes:
  • Please only drop off your child in the morning between 7:30 and 7:55.
  • Pick up your child by 2:40 each day.
  • If you need to park on the bus side of the parking lot in the afternoon, please use the spaces along the fence. Other parking spaces are needed so that busses can appropriately maneuver into that side of the parking lot.
  • Drive slowly in and out of the lot!
Attention 7th & 8th Grade Parents - Order Your Hoodies

It is time to order the Jr. High Hoodie! This is a ONE TIME custom order only available now as part of an 8th grade fundraiser. This option is only open to 7th and 8th grade students and these hoodies are allowed to be worn as part of the school uniform. The students wear these every day so you may want to consider ordering two. Please use the attached form and return to your student’s homeroom teacher by next Friday, September 11th. If you have any questions, please contact Carmen Brunner
GA Chess Club Registration Is Open

We are very excited that Guardian Angels has been selected to participate in the Cris Collinsworth Proscan Fund Chess in Schools program again this year. 

Club Meetings: Mondays from 2:45-4:00 through the entire school year

For whom: Any student who knows the basics of chess and is motivated to commit for the year.  

Sign-Up by clicking here. The first 14 students to sign-up will get a spot in the club.

Fee:  Free, but we ask that as a condition of your child’s participation, parents agree to the conditions outlined in the attached sign up genius; as well as the health guidelines to follow.

If you have questions, please email Florence Dwyer.
Parent Volunteers Needed

We are in need of a few helpful hands to keep an eye on our students in kindergarten through second grade during recess. Please consider sharing a small part of your day to assist with playground supervision. All volunteers must be VIRTUS trained and current with their bulletins. 

What will I be doing? 
The volunteer shift is from 12:40-1:15; you can choose to help on a single day or multiple days. A teacher will be on duty daily to help supervise students and guide volunteers. Please plan to arrive on campus by 12:40 and check in at the office to have your temperature checked. Then proceed to the playground to await the arrival of our K-2 students. The teacher on duty will help to point you to locations for supervision. At the conclusion of recess, please return all materials to the office and check out with Mrs. Buchmann. Volunteers will not be needed on rainy or inclement weather days.

Click here if you are interested in volunteering on the playground.
PTA Fundraiser at Raising Cane's Sept 17, 12-8pm
 
Take a break from cooking and support the GA PTA. Eat at Raising Cane's on September 17th and mention our fundraiser for the PTA to receive a portion of your sale. All proceeds support the GA Playground Project. More information is attached.
Fees, Dues, & Gifts for 2020-2021

Please click here to pay PTA/Athletic Boosters/Music Boosters Dues for the 2020-2021 school year. You can also pay your classroom fees and contribute toward teacher gifts on this site. Pay close attention to each payment because some are per family and others are per student. Thank you for contributing and recognizing the dedication our teachers give to our children. The Boosters and PTA depend on these dues to provide special programs for the students throughout the year.
GA Masks
 
Parents, please checkout USports for all your Spirit Wear needs including new Gator Masks with GA logo. You can find the complete GA selection on our Spirit Wear website.
Find PTA Information Online
 
We have an entire section of the school website dedicated to the PTA. To find previous PTA newsletters, a list of board members and PTA contacts, and much more, just click here
Special Marriage Blessing
 
On Sunday, September 20th at the 10:00am Mass, we will celebrate our annual marriage blessing. This blessing will honor couples celebrating increments of 5 years together (ie. 5, 10, 15, 20, etc.) at any point in 2020. We would also like to display your wedding photo in the Gathering Space. If you would like to submit a copy, be sure to include your wedding date. 
 
Please let the Parish Office know by Friday, September 11 if you would like to receive this special blessing and be recognized in the bulletin. Photos can be emailed to the parish office or dropped off at the rectory. Call the parish office for more information at 231-7440. You do not need to attend the Mass to receive this recognition and blessing as Mass is live streamed each Sunday on our YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
Worldwide Movement to Protect Mothers and Children

Through prayer and fasting, peaceful vigils and community outreach, 40 Days for Life has inspired 1,000,000 volunteers to help end the injustice of abortion in their local communities. With God’s help, over the last 13 years, in 950 cities across 63 nations, 17,226 babies have been saved, 206 abortion workers have converted and 107 abortion centers have closed -- so far!
The next campaign begins September 23 and ends November 1. To be successful, we need you to commit to prayer times at the very place where innocent lives are ended - Planned Parenthood, 2314 Auburn Avenue in Cincinnati, any hour between 7am and 7pm daily. Guardian Angels has committed to witness for Life on Wednesday, September 23rd. Please see the sign-up sheets on the bulletin boards as you leave church through the gathering space to sign up and join GA in kicking off 40 Days for Life!
Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels
 
Our parish will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels at all Masses on the weekend of October 3rd & 4th. We hope you are able to join us for this annual celebration. Based on the current guidelines on large social gatherings, there will not be a community lunch held this year.  
Other News & Reminders
Lunch Service
Kaldi's Catering will again provide lunch for GA students this year. Due to COVID-19, Kaldi's will be providing a limited menu this year. Details can be found on the menu page of our website. Other changes to lunch operations this year include:
  • All lunch orders must be placed in advance, by 8am on the day the lunch will be served.
  • Orders must be placed for each individual child in their own lunch accounts.
  • Cash and check payments from the office will no longer be accepted.
  • Payments will be accepted directly through EZ School Apps or Venmo.
For more information, please refer to the Kaldi's Parent Handbook.
Christian Service Program
The purpose of the Christian Service Program is to enhance the religion curriculum at Guardian Angels Church. It is the duty of all Christians to reach out in service to those around them. Christ asks us to be His hands and feet on earth, keeping His mission of reaching out to those in need alive. The students will complete their service within the following settings: at home, the parish community/school and the community at-large. Click on the links below for more details.
Box Tops For Education
The Guardian Angels PTA collects Box Tops and uses the funds earned to purchase indoor recess games and outdoor recess equipment. This year, Box Tops is switching to a digital platform. To participate, you’ll need to download the Box Tops App. No more cutting labels off boxes! Instead, you’ll go into the Box Tops app and just scan your grocery receipt within 14 days of purchase. You’ll find more information attached.
Kroger Community Rewards
Have you signed up for Kroger Community Rewards and designated GA as your beneficiary? The more families who register, the more money our school receives through the program. Kroger Community Rewards offers a great way for you to support our school's technology fund...and you don't have to spend a penny. You can search for GA or use our NPO number, 80200. The amount Guardian Angels receives depends on the points our supporters rack up while grocery shopping.
Amazon Shopping Supports GA
You can support Guardian Angels Parish when you shop at Amazon.com! GA is a participant in the AmazonSmile Program. You can sign-up to have a portion of your purchase sales come back to Guardian Angels. When you make purchases through the AmazonSmile page, and have GA selected as your beneficiary, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products back to GA. You have to be shopping from smile.amazon.com page of the site for GA to receive the benefit. 
Stay Connected with GA on Social Media
Stay up-to-date with all things GA by following us on social media. Guardian Angels uses our Facebook page to keep families informed about upcoming events, news, and other information regarding our school and parish.  You'll find Guardian Angels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Links to all of our social channels can be found through the icons at the bottom of this email.
Helpful Links