Dear Families,

What a great week back we have had! Things have gone smoothly on all most all accounts, and that is attributed to the teachers and staff being prepared and excited about the year, as well as to all of you for preparing your children to be excited too! There are lots of things happening in the near future, so be sure to watch the weekly newsletters for information all in one spot. If you have not liked our Facebook page yet, please click here to like and follow us there SRS Facebook, and we are updating the website every day! www.strobertschool.com . We have a need for volunteers in many capacities. If you are interested, please fill out this form and we will be in touch very soon! Volunteer Opportunities

At this point in the year, no question is a silly question - reach out if you have concerns or need clarification of any kind! We are working through lots of things for the start of the year, so grace and patience is much appreciated! Teachers will all be using Remind this year (but not all are set up yet), as well as for all school alerts. Please sign up if you have not already done so. This is where you will receive any quick alerts that need to go out - snow days or other emergency closures, reminders that are easier than email, etc. Sign up for Remind here.

God Bless, 

Sarah

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

There will not be a newsletter next week due to Labor Day Weekend. This newsletter will cover the next two weeks. Watch for the next newsletter on Friday, Sept. 8^th.     

ATHLETICS

Athletics for this year are looking strong! We are in search of a coach for 5th and 6th Girls Basketball. Please be sure you have a physical on file, and in exchange for turning that in to the office, your child will receive a tryout card. That card goes directly to the coach and is your "ticket" to practice. Please do not give your physical forms to the coaches - they need to be turned in to the school office. Athletic fees are $50 per player, maxing out at $150 per family per school year. You will will be incidentally billed from FACTS for the fee once we get a complete roster from the coach.

NEW STUDENTS

Please help us welcome our new Y5-8^th grade students:    

Young 5’s = Gideon    

Kdg = Amelia, Alexis, Brody, Reid, Kayleigh, Nicholas, Alex, Kendal, Morgan & Vincent    

2^nd = Elijah     3^rd = Lydia      4^th = Ademi    5^th = Gabriel & Cayden    

6^th = Madelyn & Armando     

NEW STAFF

We also welcome our new ESP Associate, Mrs. Sarah White, our new Religious Education Secretary, Mrs. Esther Music and our new OCIA/Liturgy Coordinator, Mr. Marty Rymarz. We are happy to have them all as new members of our “St. Robert Family”.  

NEW FOR 2023-2024

MASS CHANGE

School masses will now be held every Wednesday morning at 8:30 am. Our first liturgy was a beautiful, community celebration. Please plan to join the school and parish in celebrating as a faith community every Wednesday. 

• The Mass for Wednesday, 8/30, is the Mass of the Holy Spirit. We ask that all students and staff wear a red shirt.

ATTENDANCE HOTLINE

Attendance and timely arrival is an important part of each student's academic performance. While it is our hope that every child would be present and on time for every day of school, we know that this is not always possible. All attendance notifications for students in grades Preschool 3 through 8^th must be reported by 9am by calling the St. Robert Attendance Hotline at: (810) 487-9600.

Please be prepared to include the following information if your child is sick:

• Your student's name and grade
• The exact symptoms the student is experiencing (fever, vomiting, cough, sore throat, etc. – flu, stomach flu, cold, not feeling good are NOT acceptable symptoms)

Please Note: All absences and tardies must be reported through the Attendance Hotline. Texts/Emails/Phone Calls to teachers are fine as a courtesy, but DO NOT count as attendance notification. You still need to report the absence/tardy through the Attendance Hotline.  

MEDICAL NEWS

We are in the process of updating the school medical plans for students with allergies/medical issues. Please let the office know ASAP if your child(ren)’s allergy/medical issue developed or changed over the summer. Forms for students with allergies/medical issues known to the office will be sent home early next week. Any medication to be administered must be authorized by a physician using this form.

LABELS PLEASE

We are asking parents to please label lunch boxes, water bottles, sweaters/coats, etc. Many of these items are new to the students, and they, especially the little ones, don’t always recognize an item as “theirs”. We’ve already had some things show up in Lost and Found. We’re hoping that having labels will cut down on the amount of lost and found and missing items.

CALLING ALL 2 YEAR OLDS

There’s still time to enroll in the St. Robert School 2+1 program for 2023-2024. This popular program gives a parent/adult and toddler (2 years old by 9/1/23 or 3 years old by 9/1/23) an opportunity for a weekly play/social school experience. There will be two 10-week sessions, and the classes are held on Mondays from 9-10 am. Session 1 begins September 11^th and runs through November 6^th. Session 2 is scheduled January 8^th through March 11^th. The cost is $25.00 for one 10-week session or $50.00 for both sessions. Registration materials are available online at www.strobertschool.com or from either the parish or the school offices. The program fee is due at registration and registrations are processed at the parish office.

NO SCHOOL

Labor Day Weekend

Friday, 9/1 through Monday, 9/4

SPECIAL EVENTS

Friday, Sept. 8^th will be our first Jeans Day and Booster Popcorn Day! There is no charge to wear jeans. Dress code shirts or SRS spirit shirts can be worn. Popcorn will cost 50¢ per bag (please note the change in cost).

SAVE THE DATE

For the 23/24 St. Robert School Fun Fair! It will be held on Saturday, April 13^th. Watch this newsletter as the year progresses for additional details.

INSTRUMENT DONATIONS

If you have any band instruments laying around just begging to be played, we are taking all donations! Please consider helping us build our band program back to what we had in the past!

LUNCH PROGRAM / VANCO

We have had a bit of glitching on the Lunch Payment Program/Vanco. I've been working on this all week, and thank those of you for communicating your concerns. One of the big concerns is the surcharges that are occurring. This was not supposed to be a percentage and I'm not sure why that is happening. I don't see it from your side, and I appreciate the feedback and am working to remedy the issues. Please do not add money to the program yet. I will send a specific email directly from me explaining the fixes as soon as I get them from Vanco. I apologize for any inconvenience. You can send cash or check in, or you can wait and we'll catch it all up asap. Your child will never be denied lunch!

VOLUNTEERS

We need your help! If you would like to volunteer, we have MANY opportunities to do so! Please click here for all of the ways that you can be involved at St. Robert!

Volunteer Opportunities

Please click here for information on our PIP program:

St. Robert School PIP Program

If you need to do the VIRTUS training in order to volunteer (must be done every 5 years) please click here: VIRTUS Protecting God's Children

K OF C GOLF SCRAMBLE

Knights of Columbus #8489 will hold their annual golf scramble on Sunday, 9/10 at Briar Ridge Golf Course in Montrose. Please contact Joe Cozart (810) 869-5614, Bill Winchester (810) 874-9901 or Jonathon Smith (810) 223-7459 for more information.

GCCS Disaster Detectives

THE WEEK AHEAD

Place Holder

SPECIAL NOTICES

ASBESTOS NOTIFICATION

August 25, 2023 – In compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), we had inspections performed at our school buildings for asbestos-containing building materials. The inspection findings are part of our asbestos management plan and have been on file in the school administrative office since that time.

The EPA requires us to perform re-inspections of asbestos materials every three years. Accredited asbestos inspectors performed these re-inspections in 2021 and recommended action we should take to safely manage each asbestos material in our buildings.

The results of the re-inspection are on file in the management plan in the school’s administrative office. Anyone is welcome to view this plan at any time during normal school hours. Please contact us if you have questions about the asbestos in our school.

MEDICATION POLICY

Please review the St. Robert Medication Policy. This policy is in existence for the well-being of all students and not intended to inconvenience.  Students may not bring and administer their own medication in school unless specific written approval from a doctor and written permission from a parent is provided. This is a safety hazard to your child and other children.

Medication Policy

State of Michigan school code requires that all medicines given at school shall have a doctor’s order / parent permission authorization form, which includes dosage, signed and on file at school in order to administer the medication. This includes all over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol, cough medicines, cough drops, nasal spray, etc. Authorization forms must be filled out, signed by a doctor, AND signed by a parent before any medication (prescription or OTC) can be administered at school. The school cannot administer medication if the completed form has not been returned. Forms are available in the school office or click here to download. The doctor and parent permissions may also be faxed to the school office at (810) 659-4002. This policy complies with State of Michigan School Code. Please understand compliance with the policy is required for the health and safety of all students. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office. Thank you for your support.

• Medication (prescription and OTC) must come to school in its original container (no medicine sent in baggies), and liquid medication must include a measuring spoon/cup.
• Inhalers – Students may possess and use metered dose or dry powder inhalers for the relief of asthma symptoms while at school, on school-sponsored transportation, or any school-sponsored activity when APPROVED BY A PHYSICIAN. 

MRSA - WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of “staph” bacteria that causes skin infections that can’t be treated with certain antibiotics. It is sometimes mistaken for a “spider bite”. Symptoms may range from minor to serious, including skin redness and swelling, “pimple-like” red bumps, boils, rash, fever, headache and malaise. Infections can spread quickly to other parts of the body or to other people.      How can you avoid getting or spreading MRSA?

• Wash hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially after touching wounds or bandages.
• Do not share personal items (towels, bar soap, wash cloths, razors or clothing) even among family members.
• Seek care immediately at first signs of infection (red, swollen, painful, warm, draining pus).
• Keep wounds clean and covered with a dry bandage, especially if the wound is draining (follow your healthcare provider’s instructions on proper wound care).
• Wash clothes, towels and sheets in water with laundry detergent at hottest suitable temperature. Add bleach, if desired (check label instructions). Dry in dryer at hottest suitable temperature – do not “line dry”.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces (for example, doorknobs and phones frequently, and shared sports equipment between uses) according to item label cleaning instructions. Types of cleaning/disinfecting products include soap and diluted bleach, Lysol® and Original Pine-Sol®. Follow label instructions for appropriate dilutions and contact times to be sure that surfaces are cleaned properly.

Information on the risk, treatment and prevention of MRSA is available on the following websites: www.michigan.gov/mdch or www.cdc.gov/mrsa.

ADVISORY TO PARENTS