"Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen"
-Pope Francis
Dear St. Rose School Families,
It was a beautiful week of learning and celebration. We recognized the strong faith of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, holy men who trusted in God's will for their lives and bravely, humbly brought His message alive through their words and actions. They are wonderful role models to this day and we are thankful to be in a faith environment where we can highlight the significant impact they have made. Thank you for contributing money and canned goods during the week which will go toward helping the Faith Food Pantry and our Lenten Mission Drive.
I am pleased to say that the Iowa exams are going smoothly. We are grateful for your partnership in sending children to school rested and nourished. Teachers are doing a great job weaving the exams into the school day and keeping regular lessons on track. These tests will continue through the rest of March. If you have any questions or concerns please contact teachers directly.
I am very impressed with our Mock Trial team who, Miss Vertucci tells me, represented St. Rose School intellectually and professionally in their first round of the virtual competition last week. They have put countless hours into preparing for this experience. We will share all the details of the team's performance and experience after the second round of the competition which is March 26th. This is such an incredible opportunity for our students and I am grateful to their exceptional coaches, Attorneys Brady and Walsh, and Miss Vertucci.
This morning's school mass was extra special as we celebrated St. Joseph. The fact that the mass was offered as an intention for my Mother, by the school, really touched me; it was beautiful to share this with my school family. Thank you.
Typically at this time of the year we hold a gala. This year that was not an option but we still have to meet our fundraising goals. So we will be sending out a digital mailing to an extensive list of families, past and present, parishioners, alumni and other supporters seeking support of the Blooms Fund next week. Every gift makes a big difference so please help us share the word. Our Advancement team will also be launching a Brick sale fundraiser over the next few weeks so please stay tuned for details. As always we appreciate your support in keeping St. Rose School a vibrant place of learning.
Next Friday there will be an early dismissal at 11:30 a.m. for Professional Development. And, as I mentioned last week, Wednesday March 31st will be a remote learning day in deference to our teachers who will receive their second dose of the Covid vaccine on March 30th. We are moving toward brighter days!
It's Friday, which means the Knights have a take out fish fry! Please consider supporting their good works. It promises to be a warm, sunny weekend. Relax and have fun with your families.
God Bless,
Mr. Gjoka
The Peek-A-Boo 2's class had a whole lot O'fun on St. Patrick's Day!
NURSE NEWS
MARCH HEALTH OFFICE UPDATE
I have several hopeful pieces of information to share with all of you, followed by some words of caution as we move into Spring and all of the activities that Spring brings.
First, the happy news…
Almost 82%of the SRS employees have now received their first dose of vaccine. Two weeks following their second dose of vaccine, vaccinated people are considered “fully immunized”.
Fully immunized people will not need to be tested or quarantined if exposed to a positive case of COVID 19, as long as they have no symptoms.
Fully vaccinated people will be able to gather in private settings with other fully vaccinated people without masks or distancing measures.
Increasing supplies of vaccines have allowed Connecticut to accelerate the schedule to vaccinate adults, so that by April 5 all adults aged 16 and over will be eligible to get a vaccine.
Now the words of caution...
It continues to be very important to use all of the protective measures that are familiar to everyone by now. Wear a mask. Keep your distance. Wash your hands. There is still a lot of COVID virus out there in the community, including the more transmissible variants. If you are not fully immunized, you are still at risk.
Everyone needs to wear a mask and maintain social distancing in public places or when with unvaccinated people. As much as possible, unvaccinated people need to avoid gatherings with people outside of their household.
All staff, students, and families are strongly encouraged to continue to follow the CT Travel Advisory, which now refers travelers to the CDC guidelines. It can be found here: Travel Advisory.
COVID testing is available for symptomatic students, staff, and families at the School-Based Health Center located at Newtown Middle School. Call 203-270-6114 for an appointment.
Hang in there everyone. Better days are coming soon!
The mission of the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund (BSF) is to help families in need afford a Catholic education. In the 2020-2021 academic year, BSF awarded nearly $2,700,000 in aid to families at Diocesan elementary schools in Fairfield County.
Applications for current families have closed. applications for new families are due April 15.
We are excited to offer weekly, live virtual tours with Mrs. Coppola for Kindergarten through 8th grade prospective families. These will take place at 11:00-12:00 noon Tuesdays. Registration required using this link. If you are interested in touring the Preschool or have other questions email admissions@srles.com. Please share the word!
Kindergarten students wear green and carry the Irish flag, with a little visitor by their feet, on St. Patrick's Day! Donations for dress downs went to support the Mission Drive. 8th graders gathered together in the hall to attend mass virtually celebrating the Feast of St. Jospeh.
STUDENT LIFE
by Mrs. B
Dear St. Rose Families,
Last weekend, we did the traditional spring ahead on the clocks; this weekend we welcome spring, officially, on our calendars. We pray that clocks, calendars, and weather all get in sync and sunny skies and warm temperatures take hold and stay with us! The sights and sounds of springtime are starting to emerge all around us; and bring with it a renewed feeling of hope and looking forward to reaching the light at the end of the tunnel! We continue to count our blessings of being together this far into the school year; and anticipate more opportunities to welcome back some of our traditions and just good old day to day routines that we miss!
Speaking of sunshine and warmer temperatures; we want to get the children outside as much as possible for fresh air. While the clocks and calendars shout spring, the weather doesn’t always cooperate this time of year. We ask that you make sure that your child(ren) is dressed for chilly mornings, as we go outside as early as 9:30 a.m. in some classes, and there is still a little chill in the air! We don’t want anyone to miss out on the fresh air break, so please make sure that they are still wearing or bringing an outer jacket (the fleece and hoodies alone aren’t quite warm enough for current temperatures).
I want to thank our families for their support and generosity with our recent service projects. This week we raised over $300 for the Lenten Missions and collected over 300 nonperishable food items for Faith Food Pantry with our 2 + 2 = 4 service campaign in honor of St. Patrick and St. Joseph!
Please be sure to see the flyers included in this newsletter and recent email blasts announcing the return of basketball and other springtime after school activities! We look forward to many other special events and days in our classrooms including Easter and International Week! Stay tuned to the school newsletter and messages from your child(ren)’s teacher for more information about International Week (April 6-9).
Today on St. Joseph’s Day, I’d like to send our gratitude and wish for many blessings to our SRS dads and granddads for their support and being a role model to all our children!
The St. Rose Mock Trial team participated in an ALL day virtual competition last Friday. Months of hard work paid off. Part 2 of the competition takes place March 26th. Stay tuned for results. Go team!
HSA NEWS
Dear Parents,
Spring is in the air and warmer temperatures put us in mind of outdoor events such as the upcoming Saint Rose Annual Golf Outing scheduled for May 24, 2021! Thanks to those who have registered. Due to the intimacy of the venue and available carts, we are capping this years outing to 100 golfers. Please make sure to get your foursome, threesome, pair, or if just single registered today so you do not miss out on playing one of the premier private courses in Fairfield County. We still have plenty of sponsorships available so please help spread the word. You can register at Event homepage of 'Saint Rose Golf Classic'
Lastly, we hope you will consider volunteering for International Week activities. We are working with the teachers to make this a fun, educational week for our students. Contact hsa@srles.com.
Thank you. Have a wonderful weekend.
Your HSA Board
8th graders were treated to green bagels, cream cheese and juice in homeroom on St. Patrick's Day!
PLEASE SUPPORT THE MISSION DRIVE
Thanks to your ongoing donations, we have collected more than $3,000 for the Mission Drive to date. The children in Ghana are smiling and sending their love and appreciation for your good works. Others in our local communities will be receive help through this outreach as well. Raffle tickets are on sale every weekday for $1 and winners are drawn on Friday.