Weekly Newsletter: 1/31/2022 |
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Celebrating Catholic Schools Week!
We have Catholic Schools Week this week, and what a gift it is to celebrate the very heart and soul of our school’s mission—its faith! Today is the feast day of St. John Bosco, an Italian and the patron Saint of school children and young people (no small reason he is combined with St. Thomas Aquinas to form Catholic Schools Week). As most of you know by now, we have a number of mission-focused events planned this week that span the entire Kindergarten through 12th Grade. Our Lower School students will be working with our Upper School classes to explore the Church across the globe in a special activity entitled, “Catholicism Around the World.” In this activity, we recognize the diversity of various peoples around the world by exploring Catholics from specific countries, while still emphasizing our unity as descendants of Adam and Eve—i.e., one human race.
We pray each Sunday during the Nicene Creed at Holy Mass that we are “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic” as a Catholic Church. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has written well about our call to “Unity in Diversity”—a phrase hearkening to our oneness in Christ and Adam, as well as the fact that in our Church (and in our school) we have people from a variety of backgrounds who are united in the Body of Christ our Church.
Thank you for your support of all that we will be doing to celebrate the rich variety of people and traditions in our Church, our world, and our school!
COVID-19 Update (as of Friday 1/28)
Our case numbers remain fairly low, with one student in 2nd grade, one in 7th grade, and one in 12th grade out with a strain of the Coronavirus.
Beginning this week, we have decided to do this Coronavirus update each week with the numbers we report to the Archdiocese each Friday—namely, those who have informed us that they were infectious at school—in lieu of informing whole classes of students who may have been exposed. That means we will no longer send whole class emails out when we find out about the results of a student with a positive test (who was infectious while in school).
Given the CDC’s move to a 5-day quarantine requirement, it no longer makes sense to inform whole classes because--as has often been the case--a person who has been mildly symptomatic tests a day or two later, gets the results a day or two after that, and then we are already at the 5-day return by the time we can even inform families.
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Archbishop Hebda on the Importance of Catholic Schools Week
In this video message, Archbishop thanks everyone who makes our Archdiocesan Catholic Schools the successful institutions that they are and wishes everyone a happy Catholic Schools Week!
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February Important Dates
January 31-February 4 – Catholic Schools Week
February 2 – All School Mass
February 4 – Upper School Confessions
February 4 – Junior High Game Afternoon
February 5 – Senior Class Game Night
February 10 – CLT (Seniors)
February 11 – Lower School Confessions
February 12 – Red and White Benefit Dinner
February 18-21 – No School, Presidents Day Weekend
February 22-25 – Snow Days Week
February 25 – Grade 3 Virtue Assembly
February 26 – Snow Days Dance
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2022-2023 Important Dates
August 25 – First Day of School
September 5 – No School, Labor Day
October 3 – No School
October 19 – No School for Lower School
October 20, 21 – No School, MEA Break
October 28 – No School, Fall Conferences
November 23-25 – No School, Thanksgiving Break
December 21 – Last Day of Semester 1
December 22 - January 3 – Christmas Break
January 4 – Start of Semester 2
January 16 – No School, MLK Jr
February 17-22 – No School, Presidents Day Weekend
March 20-24 – Spring Break
April 7-10 – No School, Easter Break
May 8 – No School for Upper School
May 29 – No School, Memorial Day
June 2 – Last Day of School
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Saint Agnes Spring Musical 2022–AUDITIONS THIS WEEK!
Leading roles are open to students in grades 9-12.
Auditions will be held on Tuesday, February 1st and Wednesday, February 2nd in the Choir Room at 3:00PM. You may come either day.
Callbacks will be on Friday, February 4th. Audition material may be found outside Mr. Johnson's room (154). Chorus members do not need to audition.
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Last Chance for the Red & White!
Donations for the silent auction must be in by Wednesday, Feb 2nd.
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50/50 Raffle Back by Popular Demand!
Win up to $5,000 in the 50/50 Raffle! Winner receives half the pot. Tickets are $100 and only 100 tickets will be sold. Call Amy at 651-925-8709 to buy!
Tickets MUST be purchased with cash, check or debit card ONLY!
Drawing will take place after the Red & White Program on Feb 12.
Need not be present to win.
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Raffle Ticket Sales Continue!
Don't stop selling yet--tickets will still be available to sell until our live drawing at the Red & White Benefit on February 12th!
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Center for Mission 2022 Writing Contest
The Center for Mission is sponsoring their annual writing contest focusing on the question, "How has listening to Jesus’ voice led you to live out the Church’ s mission to continue Christ’s work?" There are multiple grade brackets and prizes for the top essays! Entries will be accepted January 31-March 4, 2022.
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Substitute Teachers Needed
We are looking for more substitute teachers to add to our on-call list! Substitute teacher hours are 7:30 AM - 2:45 PM when needed.
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Paid After School Care Help Needed
We are in need of help with our After School Care program. Currently, we are understaffed; the program needs two people to manage the time between 2:50 and 5:00 p.m. each day. Below are our current needs:
- We have a coverage need for an additional person each day of the week Monday-Friday, and a need of two staff members each Wednesday.
We are also currently assessing the program and our ability to staff it on a consistent basis with our own faculty and/or staff for the remainder of this school year (as well as in subsequent years).
Willing to help out?
If you have interest in covering some of our After School Care needs this school year, or are interested in considering managing or working the program in the 2022-23 school year, please contact Mr. Michael Adkins, Director of Lower School, ASAP.
This is an hourly paid position from 2:50-5:00 p.m. each day.
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Volunteers with Youth – E3/VIRTUS Updates
If you are hoping to Chaperone, work Hot Lunch, help with the Musical or otherwise volunteer with youth at Saint Agnes School you will need to be E3 compliant. E3 includes: Background Check/123B report, Code of Conduct and Safe Environment training. Updates required every three years. Due to slower process times nationwide – it can take up to 2 weeks to process Background Checks and 123B reports.
Use Google Chrome browser and allow pop-ups for this website.
New Volunteer – 90 minutes online in VIRTUS, required paperwork + completed BG check and 123B report.
Multi-Location (new to Saint Agnes) – required signed releases to get paperwork from other Archdiocese locations.
Current Volunteer – (updates every 3 years) 45 minutes online in VIRTUS, required paperwork + completed BG check and 123B report.
Current Volunteers: VIRTUS will send out automatic update reminders 30 days prior to due dates. Non-E3 compliant VIRTUS accounts will be inactivated.
Questions? Please contact Volunteer & Safe Environment Coordinator Annette Beaudry at 651-925-8826.
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This Week is Catholic Schools Week!
Many fun activities are in store for our Lower School this week as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week!
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Lower School Yearbooks (PreK-8th Grade)
Please click on the link from our yearbook company Balfur to submit your order.
Cost:
- $20 until the end of January
- $25 starting in February
- Deadline to order: February 17th
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Coming Next Week! 2022-23 Course Requests (Current Grades 9-11)
The online course request period for next year's students in grades 10-12 (current grades 9-11) will open Tuesday, February 8th on Educate. Information and materials will be distributed to students on February 8th.
Parents should watch for the printed instructions to come home, as well as an email that includes electronic copies of the materials distributed to students. Please note: Course registration for next year's freshman class (current 8th graders) will take place at the Freshmen Registration Event on Tuesday, March 8th.
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High School Yearbooks--DEADLINE TO ORDER TODAY!!
Today is the last day to order a yearbook!
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Archdiocesan Miriam Dinner
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 6–8PM, Archdiocesan Catholic Center, St. Paul
Archbishop Bernard Hebda invites women, ages 16 – 35, who are discerning consecrated life to join him for dinner and conversation. Sister Mary Joseph, a Handmaid of the Heart of Jesus Sister, will help lead the dinner program that will include consecrated women sharing their vocation testimonies, stories of consecrated life and discernment tips. Religious are welcome to bring discerning guests to the Miriam Dinner! Online registration is required. Visit the link below for more information and to register.
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Updates from the Counseling Office |
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Seniors Taking the Classical Learning Test
On Thursday, February 10th, all Seniors will take a standardized test called the Classical Learning Test (CLT). The CLT will begin first thing in the morning, 7:55AM, and is scheduled to conclude shortly after 10:30AM. Students will report directly to their testing location for the start of the day.
On Friday, January 28th, Mrs. Trana emailed all Seniors and their parents/guardians with important information pertaining to the test. Please review this email to know where your student will be testing as well as to find instructions for completing their CLT profile by Monday, February 7th.
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Junior Meetings
On January 13th, Mrs. Trana emailed juniors and their parents/guardians regarding signing up for their Junior Meeting. Every year, the Counseling Office gathers with each junior and their parents/guardians to talk about your student's future and life after high school. We will also discuss important information surrounding post-secondary options, including financial aid information, the college application process, and more. Please reference her email for the link to sign-up and all supporting information.
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ACT Prep
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer an ACT Prep Course like we have in years past. In order to support our students, we have a few suggestions for them to prepare:
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Purchase The Official ACT Prep Guide 2021-2022 as a self-guided preparation.
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Purchase The Official ACT Self-Paced Course. This self-guided option is fully online. Mr. Walter is generally in the Upper School Library 1 or 2 afternoons each week (M-Th, through Mid-March) until about 5:00pm. Consider taking advantage of this time to use the Library computer lab.
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Want to practicing taking the test? Mrs. Trana will be offering a full-length ACT Paper practice test on Monday, March 21st and Wednesday, March 23rd from 3:30-5:30PM. Monday will cover English and Mathematics. Wednesday will cover Reading, Science, and Writing. This option is FREE. For preparation purposes, please sign up here: ACT Practice Exam with Mrs. Trana.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Trana.
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Attention Juniors: Registration for the ACT
It’s time to begin thinking about the ACT! You can find instructions to register here.
Saint Agnes is hosting the ACT on April 2, 2022. You must be registered by February 25! Due to COVID restrictions, we anticipate significantly reduced capacity. Note: April 2, 2022 is the Saturday at the end of our Spring Break this year.
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Scholarship Updates from the Counseling Office
As seniors prepare for the next chapter of their educational journey, we know how important it is to know of scholarship opportunities. Your senior students have been emailed information regarding the following opportunities:
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Trana, Saint Agnes College Counselor.
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Spring Sports Registration is Open
It’s time to register for spring sports. Please register as soon as possible so we can determine how many teams we will have and how many coaches we need to hire.
Registration deadline is Friday, February 18th.
High School Sports Offered
Baseball (Grades 9-12): Fee is $125
Softball (Grades 9-12): Fee is $125
Boys Lacrosse (Grades 7-12): This is a coop with Minnehaha Academy, Fee TBD
Girls Lacrosse (Grades 7-12): This is a coop with St. Paul Academy, Fee TDB
Boys Track (Grades 7-12): Fee is $125
Girls Track (Grades 7-12): Fee is $125
Trap Shooting registration will open soon
Grade School/Junior High Sports Offered
Baseball (Grades 5-8): Fee is $100
Softball (Grades 5-8): Fee is $100
7th and 8th graders wishing to join Track or Lacrosse must register through the high school registration form as this requires a physical and other paperwork required by the Minnesota State High School League.
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Aggie Athletics Podcast: Episode 004 Now Available!
This week on the Aggie Athletics Podcast, Mike sits down with new Head Football Coach Sam Thompson to talk about his excitement for his new role, how he got started coaching and teaching at Saint Agnes, and what his plans are to continue the tradition of excellence on the gridiron that Coach Flood has helped to re-establish in recent years.
Coach Thompson emphasizes his "run to the fight" approach, and shares with us a little bit about his background in teaching, coaching, family life, and faith.
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See the Saint Agnes athletic calendar for all times, locations, and livestreams for this week's games.
See the attached flyer for more information regarding busing, Covid-19 policies, and the NFHS Network.
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Help your kids fall in love with their Catholic faith at CYSC!
Registration is open for Damascus Catholic Youth Summer Camp (CYCS), a week-long residential camp for students entering grades 6-12.
This year, there are 16 $150-off scholarships available to St. Agnes parishioner and school families! To receive the promotional code to get the scholarship, email registrationmn@damascus.net.
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Semester One Honor Roll & Lettering in Academics (9-12)
Mr. Michael Adkins, Dean of Academics, is pleased to announce the 2021-22 Semester One Honor Roll:
Congratulations to all those students who’ve earned a spot!
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Forming Catholic Hearts & Minds in Faith, Reason, & Virtue |
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