Wednesday Herald

December 1, 2021

GA Christmas Concert is Sunday, December 12th

There is no better way to kick off your Christmas season than at the Guardian Angels Christmas Concert! Join us on December 12th in the Parish Center Gym. At 1:30pm, Grades 1, 3, 5, and the Beginning Band will be performing. The 3:00 show will feature the GA Chorus, GA Band, Jazz Group, as well as the 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Bands. Admission is free to both shows. An all-school dress rehearsal will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, December 10 in the gym; guests unable to attend the Sunday performances are welcome to join us at this time. Questions can be directed to Holly Leach or Bill Lommel. 

After School Enrichment Opportunities This Month

We are so excited to be able to safely offer our After School Enrichment classes this year! Our next round of Enrichment classes will be offered as one day only events in December. Please see the details below if you are interested. Please email Dena Conover with any questions. 

Christmas Craft Workshop

This fun and creative class will have our Angels, grades K-8, learning the steps to paint wooden figures to create a complete wooden Nativity set to take home. All materials will be provided along with plenty of cookies, hot chocolate and Christmas music! This class is limited to 18 students.

When: Wednesday, December 8th, after school until 4:30pm 

Who Can Sign-Up: Students in grades K-8 

Cost: $25 per student 

Register online by clicking here.

More details are in the attached flyer.

Mrs. Claus' Christmas Cookie Workshop

This hands-on class will have our Angels, grades K-4, decorating their very own dozen Christmas cookies and another sweet treat to take home and share! There will be plenty of Christmas music and a snack too! This class is limited to 15 students. 

When: Monday, December 14th, after School until 4:00pm 

Who can sign-up: Students in grades K- 4

Cost: $20 per student 

Register online by clicking here. 

More details are in the attached flyer.

Save the Dates: We're Holding Two Open Houses!

This year Guardian Angels School will offer two Open House opportunities for families interested in learning more about our school.

A Preschool Open House will be held Monday, January 10th from 5:00-7:00pm. This event is specifically for anyone considering enrolling their child(ren) in the preschool and/or pre-k program for the 2022-2023 school year. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP through the link below.

An Open House for K-8 will be held Sunday, January 30th from 1:00-3:00pm. This Open House is specifically for anyone considering enrolling their child(ren) in kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2022-2023 school year. This event is a great way to meet current families, talk with teachers in their classrooms, and get a feel for the community you will find here. Please RSVP through the link below.

A flyer is attached if you would like to share it with anyone who is interested in learning more about Guardian Angels School.

Pre-registration is not mandatory for either of these events. However, guests do register at the door so this will speed up the process once you arrive at our Open House. Current GA school families do not need to register in advance.

Inclement Weather Notice

As we approach the cold and snowy season, we would like to remind families of our plan for any changes in operation. There is no way to predict any of the possible circumstances for any forecasted storm, but it is important to stress a few items to be prepared for this unpredictability. Please keep the following items in mind as we approach the wet and cold weather:

1. Guardian Angels School will notify parents of any operational changes through our all-call system. A test of this system was administered in August. This is the most immediate and reliable way to be notified of any changes. 
2. Local media will also be informed of any changes under the name “Guardian Angels School;” however, the most reliable notification is our all-call system.
3. Generally, we follow the Forest Hills School District; however, there are unique circumstances for that district and our school that could dictate different plans. Again, the best way to stay informed of any changes is through our all-call system.
4. If there are special circumstances that are lengthy in communication, we will use our all-school email to notify parents of specific instructions and procedures.
5. If we are operating on a two hour delay, school will officially begin at 10:00, with carline starting at 9:30. Please do not bring your child to school before 9:30, as a two hour delay could change to a school closing. 
6. Perhaps the most difficult situation is when the inclement weather does not begin until school has already started. We strongly consider the forecast ahead of time, hopefully avoiding the possibility of having to make this change throughout the school day. Our unique position of relying on five different school districts for busing adds to this difficult decision. If we are in school and a public district has made the decision to close early, all students of that district will be sent home when the buses arrive to Guardian Angels, unless we are notified differently from you. We will communicate all changes to you through our all-call system and/or email.   

Join Our Green Team!

Guardian Angels would like to begin transitioning to becoming a more sustainable school. We will be forming a Green Team and are looking for parents, teachers, and students who are interested in making their school more eco-friendly to join our team of changemakers! This is a great opportunity for parents to get involved with their children in creating positive changes for our community together. Please email Meghan Robson if you or your child are interested in joining our team!

365 Lotto

The 365 Lotto is one of the PTA's biggest fundraisers and also gives you the opportunity to win over $25,000 in cash prizes! Funds raised from the 365 Lotto are used for staff appreciation events, student activities throughout the year and campus improvements. The PTA asks every family to participate in this fundraiser to support our wonderful staff and students.

This Thursday, December 2nd, will be the second turn in day for a chance to win $75. The lucky winner will be selected on Angels on Air on Friday, December 3rd. We will have another turn in day on December 9th for a chance to win $50.

Tickets are available in the school office, parish office and after all Masses this weekend (December 4th and 5th).

Please send in all sold and unsold tickets by Wednesday, December 15.

If you have any questions, please contact Melissa Clissold or Margaret Dunn.

GA Staff Cookie Exchange Sign-Up

The PTA is hosting a Cookie Exchange for the GA teachers & staff in December! The treat is that they DO NOT have to do any of the baking! We would love your help providing cookies for the cookie exchange. Please click here for more details and to sign up! Cookies will be dropped off at school on December 12th.

What if you don’t enjoy or have time to bake, but still want to help? We would appreciate any monetary donations too. Donations will be used to help cover the costs of cookies and supplies to make this day special for the staff. Thank you in advance for your support! Monetary donations are due by December 9th.

Questions? Email Margaret Dunn.

Don't Forget To Pay Your Dues

Please pay your dues and classroom fees for the 2021-2022 school year through this link. Dues are $75 per family and includes fees for PTA, Athletic Boosters, and Music Boosters.

Teacher/Staff Gifts

Parents are encouraged to contribute towards teacher and staff gifts. It’s a great way to let them know how grateful we are for them. Contributions can be made through this link.

Track & Field Option This Spring

Guardian Angels Boosters are excited to announce a new sports offering in Spring 2022. GA will sponsor track and field teams this spring season that will last from late March to mid-May. Boys and girls from grades K through 8 are invited to join and compete in various sprints, distance, relays and field events.  Time commitment will be 1 to 2 practices a week (younger grades 1 practice, older grades 2 practices) held at Nagel Middle School, with roughly 5 meets that last about 2-2.5 hours on Saturdays.

The teams that are available are K-2nd (co-ed), 3rd & 4th , 5th & 6th, and 7th & 8th (with separate teams for boys and girls other than K-2). Different ages compete in different events including, 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m runs, 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 relays and High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put (softball throw for K-2nd) & Discus, so there is something for everyone!

Already playing a spring sport? No problem! We encourage multi-sport athletes, and are extremely flexible to accommodate other sports schedules. Attend the practices or meets that you are able, as we welcome any participation and skill level.

We are in the process of compiling teams, coaches, equipment, and uniforms, so in order to get a rough head count, please email Sarah Lewis if your children are interested in participating or you have interest in coaching.

Thanks so much, and hope to see you in the spring!

Fathers Team Meeting This Friday

GA Fathers, join us this Friday at 6:05am in Conference Room B (next to the undercroft) for Fathers Team as we discuss this week’s topic: Religious Message Overload: What Are Reliable Catholic Resources? How are we supposed to navigate across various media the wide variety of Catholic resources and discern the truth found in them? The goal of this lesson is to come up with a plan for discerning which Catholic resources are reliable. No preparation is required. Just show up and join in the conversation...or just observe. Contact us at GAfathersteam@gmail.com for the zoom information, or to get on the GA Fathers Team email distribution.

Youth Group First Friday Meeting (Grades 5-8)

Join the parish youth group as we gather grades 5-8 on Friday, December 3rd from 5:00-7:00pm. This month we will be continuing our theme of "Back to Basics" as we look at the season of joyful expectation: Advent! We will be playing a variety of games and activities that draw us into the season, and will have a chance to pray the "Stations of the Infant Jesus." Come join us and make a new friend! If you are not currently receiving Youth Ministry updates and would like to be added to our list, or have any other questions, please email Bradley Barnes.

School Masses

You can find a full schedule of school Masses on the calendar in Rediker. At this time, our All School Masses are NOT open to visitors. We will be livestreaming all of the All School Masses through GA’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Families are welcome to attend grade level Masses.

Lunchroom News

Kaldi's offers a hot lunch option every day for our students. All meals must be pre-ordered before 8:30am the day of service; this is done through the Ez-Parent website. Students will have the option to buy additional items during lunch, as long as they have an established account with a positive balance. To set up a new account, or manage an exisiting account, click here.

If you have questions regarding the lunch program, please contact Kaldis at ga@kaldiscatering.com.

The menu is available on the school website.

Order GA Sweatpants

Help support the 8th grade class and order GA sweatpants. These are approved to wear on out-of-uniform and spirit wear days. A portion of each sweatpant order raises money towards the 8th grade trip and activities each year. Pants can be ordered online throughout the school year.

Cookie Ministry 

Guardian Angels School Cookie Ministry teams up with the Parish Parish Peanut Butter group to feed families in need. The Peanut Butter group makes 1,500 peanut butter and bologna sandwiches. GA students donate cookies. St. Francis Seraph Church in Over-the-Rhine gives the food to families in need. Students are asked to bring in two dozen cookies, brownies, or rice krispie bars on their classroom's designated day. They do need to be bagged, two treats per bag. All 5th grade classes are responsible for the next donation on Monday, December 6th. Donations of juice boxes and prepackaged snacks are also needed. A complete schedule for the school year is attached. 

Attendance Line

If your child will be absent or late to school, please call the main school office by 8:00 each morning. We recently upgraded our telephone system. In doing so, we removed the former “attendance line.” All parents needing to report their child absent or late to school should call our Office Assistant, Melissa Boston, using the main school phone number - 624-3141.

Christian Service Program - Faith in Action

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. This outreach may be completed individually, with a partner, or in a group. 

This program will focus more on the meaning of the actual service opportunities rather than completing a prescribed amount of time. You will choose activities for each component—service to your family, service to your school/parish and service to the poor and vulnerable in our community. There is no minimum requirement of hours to complete. Grades 1-3 are required to complete at least 2 activities for each component; grades 4-8 at least 3 for each. You are certainly encouraged to complete more! See your Religion teacher, Mrs. Froehlich, or the parish website for a list of suggested activities and the log sheet.  

Questions? Contact Kay Froehlich, Director of Religious Education, for more information.

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. Box Tops is now on a digital platform. To participate, you’ll need to download the Box Tops App and scan your grocery receipt within 14 days of purchase. You’ll find more information here.

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 to GA through the following social media platforms:

Helpful Links

If you have news to share with our community, please send it in through the link above labeled Send In News For The Herald. Information is due on Friday; the week before you would like the news to be included in our newsletter.

GUARDIAN ANGELS SCHOOL

513.624.3141

GASCHOOL.ORG