"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 3:16
Dear St. Rose School Families,
The sun is shining and spirits are bright as Spring enters the hearts and halls of St. Rose School.
This week our 8th graders participated in a day long retreat that focused on faith, trust and communication. As a special treat, they enjoyed video messages from several of our 2020 graduates, wishing them well and giving advice for high school. Being able to express their faith in this way, and connecting with former students, captures the essence of the St. Rose School experience. These bonds are formed for life.
Yesterday Sister Thaddeus and I presented Monsignor Bob with a check for $500 to help parishioners in need -- these funds came from your donations to the Lenten Mission Drive! Monsignor was very grateful as are all of the recipients who are warmed by your kindness. You can read about all of the wonderful details in the Lenten Mission Drive article below. My thanks to Sister Thaddeus for leading this significant school outreach and to all of your for taking a part in it.
Please remember that Wednesday March 31 will be a remote day of learning in deference to teachers who receive their second vaccine March 30th. Please keep them in your prayers; we are confident that taking these measures puts us in good standing for a strong finish to the year. School will be closed Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. As a result, there will not be a newsletter on Friday April 2nd. On another housekeeping note, due to the onset of warmer days we have decided to switch to the Spring uniform, effective immediately.
We are heading into Holy Week, the events of which are at the heart of our faith. Together we have journeyed through Lent offering acts of service and prayer to ready ourselves for Jesus' Passion. I pray that this will be a blessed time for your family and wish you the Hope that Easter brings.
As a friendly reminder tonight and Good Friday are the last K of C take out Fish Frys. Stay healthy and enjoy these beautiful days.
God Bless,
Mr. Gjoka
Sister Thaddeus and Mr. G present Monsignor Bob with a $500 check to assist parishioners in need with money raised by the St. Rose School Lenten Mission Drive.
LENTEN MISSION DRIVE A SUCCESS!
Your generosity led to our biggest Mission Drive collection ever -- we raised more than $3,500! This money will bring great joy and assistance to those in need including the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth Ghana Mission School, St. Rose of Lima Parish, St. Rose Social Concerns Committee, Faith Food Pantry, Dorothy Day Hospitality House and The Bridgeport Pontifical Mission/Rice Bowl.
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.
It continues to be very important to 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.
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.
This is especially important given the upcoming Spring Break.
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.
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.
Come take a walk in our halls and visit our classrooms from the comfort of your home! 11:00-12:00 noon Tuesdays. Registration required using this link. In person tours can also be arranged, contact admissions@srles.com.
PRESCHOOL DROP IN VISITS/TOURS
If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about the Preschool, contact admissions@srles.com. Beginning Friday April 23rd through the end of the school year we will be hosting PRESCHOOL DROP IN VISITS, Fridays, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
8th grade students explore faith, trust and communication during their class retreat this week. Unprompted, a Kindergarten student kneels during class prayer.
STUDENT LIFE
by Mrs. B
Dear St. Rose Families,
The time is flying by and we are already heading into the last week of our Lenten Season! St. Rose Parish is offering a number of ways to observe this holiest of weeks and Easter; we hope you will visit the website and find ways to share this time with your children. We will be away from school for Holy Thursday through Easter Monday; back for a short week and then off to spring break!
Our children have been busy this Lenten Season, reflecting, praying, completing and sharing activities related to the Stations of the Cross. As a school community, we have raised over $3,500 for the Lenten Missions; this will be shared with the school in Ghana, and a host of parish and community ministries. In art, our artists-in-residence have been busy decorating our hallways with springtime creations, including their creative versions of the Easter Bunny!
On Monday, March 29, our Kindergarteners are going to be wearing their Easter finest, along with their Easter bonnets and hats for their annual Easter Parade! They will also be making a visit across the street to visit and share their Easter outfits with our friends at Church Hill Village!
Upon our return after Easter Monday, our classes will be off to different destinations as we celebrate our annual International Week! This is a week that the children look forward to as we learn about different cultures through stories, songs, and activities. While we explore different countries and cultures, our focus will be on peace; with each day having a specific task to promote peace within our school and community! Here is our itinerary for our journey to places far away:
-Tuesday is Culture Day; while we can’t have our traditional assembly and flag ceremony, we will be sharing a prerecorded video of class representatives carrying their country’s flag and two fellow classmates presenting five interesting facts about the country. Teachers will also be sharing videos about the countries they are studying.
-Wednesday is Craft Day; exploring country culture with a traditional craft. Some of our classes have been preparing early with a preview of their country’s crafts during art this week.
-Thursday is Country Day; for $1, students can dress in the colors of their country. All donations will go to Kids for Peace; uplifting our world through love and action. Classes will also be having fun with traditional games from their country. We are even looking forward to trying some traditional snacks that day too!
-Friday is Peace Day; kindness unites us and we will show this by taking part in a Guinness Book of World Records activity, #LinkedByLove. Students will be getting paper strips that they will decorate with messages of LOVE and HOPE for the world. These will be gathered and sent to the Kindness Unites Team who will assemble and we will see if we can beat that record!! A giant peace sign will be sent around the school that day, each student, faculty, and staff member will sign it and we will display it as a remembrance from International Week 2021!
Teachers will be reaching out to room parents for help in gathering items to make this week a success in helping us celebrate how we are all alike and different and the need for peace in our world!!
We have completed the IOWA and CogAT testing; we want to thank our parents for their cooperation and support in getting our children to school on time. This was the first time for the tests to be taken online; and everyone, including distance learners in grades 1-7 took the tests and did an excellent job learning and using this new platform so a big shout out to our children for checking another item off their list during this challenging year!
Warm weather uniforms are officially the attire for school through the end of the year! We have experienced cold April days, and even snow, so until the weather is consistently warm please help your child decide on the most comfortable attire for the school day. A mix of short sleeves and long pants are acceptable on those breezy warm days! With the spring we sometimes have those chilly mornings and warm afternoons, which means taking off sweatshirts, hoodies, and fleeces half way through the day. Please label those uniform items that might be left behind so that we can easily find their owner!
For one of their 8th Grade Privileges, please note that our Class of 2021 may wear a solid color polo, instead of the white SRS polo, with the rest of their uniform.
Basketball is back and track is fast on its heels!! Please see the flyers in this week’s newsletter, and watch your email for more information!
I want to wish you a Blessed Palm Sunday; the day we remember Jesus’ Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem! Jesus came in peace to conquer, not by force as earthly kings, but by love, grace, mercy, and His own sacrifice for His people. He conquers not nations, but hearts and minds; His message is one of peace with God. When Jesus makes a triumphal entry into our hearts, He reigns there in peace and love; and as His followers, we exhibit those same qualities. Lent is a time to draw closer to Christ and to remember the forgiveness and New Life He won for us.
Gracious Lord, the energy and emotion of a parade can generate joy.
Yet the joy of your parade into Jerusalem turned so quickly to pain,
signaling the sacrifice of your own self.
Let this day remind me that while emotions can be fickle. Your faithfulness and love remain true. May I see in the giving of Your life, the power to give myself, for others, simply for love.
When life’s struggles sear my soul, or sacrifice strips me of hope, strengthen me with your spirit that strode into Jerusalem to face death, even as palm branches were strewn before your path and the crowd cried, “Hosanna in the highest!”. Amen.
May His strength continue to uplift you, even during the darkest of times! Warm Regards! Stay Well!
Mrs. Vitetta's First Graders made Stations of the Cross Eggs to help them understand the meaning of each Station.
HSA NEWS
Dear Parents,
We met with Mr. G, Mrs. B, Mrs. Moulder and two faculty representatives this week to check in on how HSA can support our school. The HSA was asked to secure and spread fresh mulch on the playground and in the Preschool play areas by April 19th. Do you have a connection to a garden supply or landscaping company? Can you help us obtain the mulch? Please let us know. Once it is delivered, all members of our school community will be asked to come and help spread the mulch. Service hours will be available for middle school volunteers!
We are moving forward with the touchless bottle fillers to replace traditional water fountains in the school. At our last HSA meeting, Monsignor Weiss generously offered to sponsor this project, so we would like to get them ordered and installed. If you have any connections to suppliers and/or installers for Elkay bottle filling stations, please let us know. Installing these units will be a welcome change for our thirsty kids as the weather warms up, and will help us all reduce the use of plastic water bottles.
It seems like a long way away, but we want to make sure you know that the next HSA meeting will take place on Thursday, May 20th at 6:30pm via Zoom.
If you can help us with any of the items above, please email us at hsa@srles.com. Thank you!