Family Learning

NWEA MAP Growth Assessment 

Beginning of Year Assessment Result Going Home

As previously communicated, we administered the NWEA MAP Growth assessment to your child (Kinder through 8th grade) to measure growth. You will be receiving the Family Growth Report for your child on Monday, October 16. Be sure to check your child’s backpack for this valuable report; if you would like more information, click here for the Family Guide to the NWEA MAP Growth Assessments.   

Learning Commons Literacy Corner

Please click here for our weekly Learning Commons Literacy Corner updates including the quote of the week, vocabulary word of the week, and the high frequency words of the week.

Academic Clubs and Competitions

Thanks so much to all of the St. Cecilia families who have registered their children for participation in our Academic Clubs and Competitions program! Our deadline to register is Friday, October 6th at 11:59PM. If you’d still like to have the opportunity for your children to benefit from this program, click here to register. Again, thank you to all who have chosen to participate!

Astros Spirit Wear

Students can wear Astros tops or t-shirts while the Astros are in the post season / playoffs each week on Fridays instead of Spirit Day.

Homecoming 2023 - October 9th – 13th

“Neon”

Homecoming Dress Up Theme Days

• Monday, October 9th – No School
• Tuesday, October 10th – 80’s day – Big Hair / Neon Dreams
• Wednesday, October 11th – Mass Uniform with Crazy Socks
• Thursday, October 12th – Wear Red St. Cecilia spirit shirts with jeans or uniform bottoms for the Homecoming Pep Rally and Game!
• Friday, October 13th – Neon / Glow day wear Neon color tops with jeans or uniform bottoms

Homecoming Cheerleader Spirit Items Sale

It’s almost time for HOMECOMING and it’s time to get ready for the big game on Thursday, October 12th! 

Pre-order your SPIRIT ITEMS using this form and make sure it is completed by Friday, October 6, 2023 (we are not able to accommodate ANY late orders). Items will be packaged and delivered to your oldest/only child’s homeroom on Tuesday, October 10th. We will NOT be selling items directly to the kids in homerooms or at lunchtime this year.

Check out the items HERE! We have a few returning favorite items like vinyl stickers, perfect for water bottles, camp trunks or laptop covers AND Styrofoam cups (new design) perfect for ANY beverage! We also have fan favorites like hair bows, pom poms, mini footballs, eye black, bam bams, rally towels, hand clappers and temporary tattoos!  

Thanks in advance for supporting our St. Cecilia cheerleaders! 

October HSA Meeting – Tuesday, October 10th - 8:15AM

The HSA September Meeting is on Tuesday, October 10th, at 8:15AM. The September meeting will be in person at school in the Maker Space Lab. The meeting will be recorded, and a link to the recording will be in next Friday’s Insider. All are welcome to attend.

Morning Carpool Safety Patrol

Students in 6th-8th grade will have an opportunity to apply to be part of our St. Cecilia Safety Patrol for the Fall Semester! They will help with opening vehicle doors at the Community Center carpool in the mornings and assist younger students as they arrive at school.

Qualifications:

• Students must demonstrate responsibility in the classroom with managing their own behavior independently, completing classwork and homework assignments and are able to interact with peers and adults appropriately
• Students must be able to arrive to school by 7:25 am on days they plan to volunteer
• Volunteer hours will be able to be counted for NJHS

Please return this form to Ms. Mejia to be considered for Safety Patrol. For questions, please email Ms. Mejia.

Red Ribbon Week – October 23rd – 27th 

We will celebrate National Red Ribbon Week the week of October 23rd. This is a time we reflect and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle for ourselves and our children. Our students will be participating in dress up days during the school week to signify their commitment to making the choice to be healthy and live drug free. As we lead our community in making this commitment, let us keep the children worldwide in our thoughts and prayers. School uniforms can always be worn instead of doing the dress up days listed out below. 

Monday, October 23rd - Follow Your Dreams

Dress in PJ Bottoms and T-Shirts (must wear athletic shoes with PJ’s) 

Tuesday, October 24th - Team Up Against Drugs

Wear your favorite team gear with jeans or uniform bottoms

Wednesday, October 25th - Sock It To Drugs

Wear Mass uniform with crazy socks

Thursday, October 26th - Every Day is A Holiday When You're Drug Free

Wear clothing celebrating Any Holiday with jeans or uniform bottoms

Friday, October 27th - Celebrations of Learning Conferences (No School)

School uniforms can always be worn instead of dressing up.

Auction Sign Up Party – October 29th – “Boo-zy Yoga”

While our official Auction 2024 announcement is coming very soon – we are already getting started with Sign Up Parties! Here is information on our first one of the year:

Did you know St. Ignatius guided his students through yogi-like meditations? The question is… did he serve mimosas and cold brew on the side? We survived back to school, so let’s celebrate with boozy yoga! Mingle with your fellow SCCS ghoul parents (this is a kid-free event!), while learning top tips on how to stretch and stay healthy for the rest of the school year. Enjoy brunch-y cocktails, coffee care of Minuti Coffee, nibbles, and lots of door prizes, including for best costume accessory! And dads… we want to see you there too! This is a co-ed event. “We should not fix our desires on health or sickness, wealth or poverty, success or failure, a long life or a short one. Our one goal is the freedom to make a wholehearted choice to follow God.” - St. Ignatius of Loyola

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Fast Results Fitness, 3:00-5:00 PM

50 Adult Spots Available

$40 Per Person

Please click here to register

Hosts: Fast Results Fitness / Johnathan Caprille, Grendys Garcia, Jennifer and Hunter Petree

Halloween (October 31st) and All Saints Day (November 1st)

On Tuesday, October 31st students are allowed to wear their Halloween costumes to school. If they do not want to wear their costume, they may also wear a Halloween shirt with jeans/uniform bottoms, or their regular school uniform. Restrictions: school-appropriate costumes, no inflatable costumes, nothing overly scary (keep early childhood students in mind), no face paint, no makeup, no hair paint.

On Wednesday, November 1st for All Saints Day Mass - students may come dressed as their favorite Saint for All Saints Day (or wear Mass attire).

Field Day

We are excited to have our first ever fall semester Field Day – coming up on Friday, November 10th! 

Field Day is an annual St. Cecilia Catholic School tradition, where students participate in class field games, carnival rides & games, and most importantly fellowship together as a community. Field Day this year will take place on Friday, November 10th, 2023. Please click here for a Field Day FAQ document with additional details about the event.

Every student can participate in the excitement of Field Day. The festivities include:

• Morning field games with their grade level
• A boxed lunch for each student
• A 20oz. Field Day water bottle for each student
• Afternoon Games – access to all the inflatables, rides/games, silly string and one slushy drink per student

To help offset the cost of Field Day, HSA is asking parents to contribute a “Flat Fee” per student – though this is not required. In addition to what is listed above, families who contribute by paying the Flat Fee will receive the following:

• 1 Field Day t-shirt for each of their student(s)
• 5 Prize Room Tickets (a $5 value)

Additionally, adult Field Day t-shirts will be available for sale, separate from the flat fee. 

The deadline to purchase the Flat Fee / t-shirts is 12:00PM (noon) on Wednesday, October 18th. 

2023 Christmas Card Design Contest

It’s time to design this year’s Christmas card for St. Cecilia Catholic School and EVERY student is eligible to submit an entry. Please click here for the required Design Template.

Important design guideline information:

1. Must be a religious theme.
2. Must include the words: St. Cecilia Catholic School (please do not abbreviate the school’s name as SCCS).
3. Design layout can be horizontal or vertical.
4. Design must be submitted on the required design template.
5. Design must be uploaded to this online form. 

The Entry Deadline is Monday, November 6, 2023. Please scan, save as a .pdf, and submit your student’s design entry using this online form to upload the design.

Halloween Cookie Decorating Parties with Mrs. Drake

Get into the spooky spirit with cookie decorating! We’ll have cookies to decorate with plenty of icing and sprinkles! Mrs. Drake will share some fun decorating ideas, then the kids can have fun making their own creations. Kids can take home their cookies (or eat them as they go!) 

Students can be picked up from Mrs. Drake’s room or will be escorted to Bridges for after-school care. *Cookies contain flour, eggs, diary, and almond extract*

PK3 - 1st Graders

Monday 10/23 and Tuesday 10/24 (2 options for a one-day class)

3:45-4:15 in Mrs. Drake’s room

$25/student

2nd-8th Graders

Wednesday 10/25 or Thursday 10/26 (2 options for a one-day class)

3:45-4:30 in Mrs. Drake’s Room

$30/student

Please click here to register.

Girls Basketball Pre-Season Prep Clinics

The Girl's Basketball Coaches are offering several mornings of open gym for our girls to prepare themselves for the upcoming season. Preparation for the season includes: Mikan shots, layups, free throws, shooting, ball handling, and individual skills work. These prep clinics are open to any of the currently enrolled St. Cecilia middle school girls (6th-8th grade). 

• Time: 6:30 – 7:30 am
• Open Gym Dates: 
• September – 25, 27
• October – 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18
• Cost: $150 – this is a one-time fee. *The player can come to as many sessions as they desire*

Please click here to register online.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Coach Inman and Coach Kinnick

St. Cecilia Parish Basketball

Parish Basketball registration for Kindergarten through 5th grade is now open until November 15th.

Instructions for Registering Players:

• Parents should register players using the link provided above.
• Please note: on the “Player Page” of the registration form, include a statement in the “Special Instructions” field "that this is a St. Cecilia Catholic School player who wants to be on a St. Cecilia team."
• On the “Player Page” of the registration form, enter the “Grade” as the grade level of the player’s preferred team. If the player’s school grade is different, then provide the school grade and a (very) brief explanation in the “Special Instructions” field. (Players are not allowed to play down without special permission from the TKB Executive Director.)

Coach Registration:

• All coaches must register for the purposes of authorizing background checks, confirming Code of Ethics agreement, and providing contact information.
• Instruct HCs to register as soon as possible (so a team number can be promptly assigned) and to confirm their affiliation with “Tallowood” when prompted during the registration process.
• Assistant Coaches (enlisted by the HC) should register as soon as their HC provides them with a team number (and not before).
• Detailed instructions and coach registration links: COACHES | Kingdom Basketball.

Please go to our Parish Sports page on the website for more information and to register.

Fall Math+ at Strake Jesuit

Math+ is a six-session course that is taught at Strake Jesuit. Classes are on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:00PM starting on Tuesday, October 10th and ending on November 14th. The course costs $250. This Fall’s course will focus on Probability, a mathematical concept that has both practical relevance and important mathematical applications. Click here for more information and to register.