"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Matthew 5:16
Dear St. Rose School Families,
Another sunny and productive week is in the books for St. Rose School! Thank you to all who attended the HSA meeting last night. We covered a lot of positive news as we looked back on the challenges and accomplishments of this year and looked ahead to brighter days. Here are the highlights:
-Thank you for ALL of your support. Our
teamwork made on site learning possible for
the majority of this year!
-We expect that the school routine will return to pre Covid norms for the 2021-2022 school year. The only unknown, at this time, is mask status. We will keep you posted.
-Students have shown progress in standardized testing.
-Enrollment looks good! The real estate market is exploding -- please help us spread the good word about St. Rose School to friends, family and neighbors!
-Communication is a top priority. Friday newsletters will continue through June 18th and resume mid August. You can expect a Back to School letter in early August and in between important information will be shared via email.
Slides from the meeting can be accessed under the HSA section of this newsletter.
I hope you will join me in congratulating 8th grader John Paul Dyer who is the recipient of the St. Thomas Aquinas Award from Bishop Caggiano. John received this recognition due to his exceptional demonstration of academic excellence and faith through service to others. He has set a wonderful example in the halls of St. Rose School and will no doubt continue sharing and building upon these commendable qualities in high school. God Bless John Paul, we are proud of you.
There are many dates on the calendar between now and June 16th. Please be sure to take a look at the box below to be sure we are on the same page. I hope to see many of you at the HSA Golf outing Monday, May 24th. We appreciate all the HSA does to support our school!
I'd like to give a special nod to our 8th graders who are truly VIPs in our hearts. It was fun to watch them walk the Red Carpet today. While we will be sad to see them go, we know that they are ready to step into this next chapter of their lives where they will continue to bloom in mind, heart and soul. May God bless them and their families during this exciting time.
It sounds like the temperatures are soaring this weekend. Stay cool and enjoy your down time.
God bless,
Mr. Bardhyl Gjoka
IMPORTANT DATES
May 24th -- HSA Golf Outing, Bunny Bowl!
May 31st-- School closed for Memorial Day
June 3rd -- 8th Grade Class Night
June 6th -- 8th grade Graduation, 1:00 p.m.
June 8th -- Kindergarten Graduation. 10:00 a.m.
June 9th -- Preschool Graduation
June 9th -- Please note this is a FULL Day of school for Grades 1-7 (previously half day)
June 14th -- Field Day, early dismissal 11:30 a.m.
June 15th -- Early Dismissal, 11:30 a.m, PD
June 16th -- Last day of school for 1st-7th Grade, Early dismissal 11:30 am., Mass in the Church.
Bricks make great gifts -- Confirmation, First Holy Communion, Graduation, Weddings, Birthdays, In Memory of a Loved One. Buy a brick to connect to the past and pave the way for many bright futures. Order online
JOIN US FOR OPEN HOUSE FRIDAYS at the PRESCHOOL,10:00-11:00 a.m. These will take place every Friday between now and June 4th. Please share the word!
Important Dates
May 31st -- School closed, Memorial Day
June 7th -- Last day of school 3-year-old and 4-year-old class
June 8th -- Last day of school Transitional Kindergarten class
June 9th -- 4-year-old and Transitional Kindergarten Graduation, 10:00 a.m.
MY HOW THEY HAVE BLOOMED -- KINDERGARTEN!
The Kindergarten was quite busy this year academically, spiritually, socially and in service. We adopted the Newtown Police Department delivering bi monthly goodies to them as a thank you. The Kinders also collected mittens and gloves for an elementary school in Delaware where there was need. Of course, they could be found doing good deeds every day, especially during Lent! We learned to read and memorized more than 70 sight words! Addition, subtraction, graphing and Geometry were the highlights of our Math classes. We discovered so much about our Catholic faith and learned 5 different prayers. In Science we worked on growing plants, recycling, magnet fun, building a volcano and learning about healthy vs non healthy foods (to name just a few fun experiments). Most of all, we sparked our curiosity and natural love of learning in a nurturing classroom where God is welcomed every day.
Mrs. Donna Rahtelli, Kindergarten Teacher
HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE!
Congratulations to 8th grade student John Paul Dyer, recipient of the St. Thomas Aquinas Award.
STUDENT LIFE
by Mrs. B
Dear St. Rose Families,
The weeks are flying by and while we begin to experience “the last” of some things for the year; as challenging as it has been, it is also bittersweet. While thoughts go to summer vacation, and a well needed rest by all; we also will be sending our Class of 2021 into high school; proud and grateful for the blessing of knowing them and watching so many of them grow over the years. They have all become the fine young men and young women we see as the leadership of our student body; off to new adventures, and leaving footprints on our hearts and wonderful memories!
Today we celebrated Red Carpet Day for our 8th graders who, dressed in their finest celebrity attire, walked through their crowds of fans in the primary hallway and then onto the red carpet to receive an Oscar for “Best….”; the superlatives that were voted by their peers for the yearbook. Then as any celebrity would enjoy, they attended an afternoon movie premier in the Gathering Hall. We look forward to sharing their awards and pictures of the day with you next week!
Ending One Year and Planning for the Next
Last evening we attended, virtually, the last HSA meeting of the year; hopefully the last Zoom meeting of this kind, as we look forward to next year and resuming meetings and gatherings in person! As we talked about the accomplishments of the year, we are reminded just how blessed we are with the community in which our children are educated!
While we refer to this year as unique and challenging, I also saw it as the year of immense creativity. Our teachers are known for their creative ways of engaging students and guiding them to success; but, this year was one of the most creative we have ever seen! While teachers balanced lessons for in person and remote learners; they also made sure to make connections with their students, so that each day, the children knew they were safe, cared about, and the learning kept going!
We were fortunate to be able to have a counselor this year; we thank Heidi Verdi for helping us watch over our children and are happy to announce she will be back with us next year. During the summer we will be assessing programs that address Social Emotional Learning for our students and ways to integrate this into our curriculum.
Also returning to us next year is our enthusiastic Athletic Director, Monica Ortega. We are grateful to Monica for working to bring safe, active after school activities to our children. Of course, we also look forward to basketball, track, and cheer returning next year!
As we mentioned in previous newsletters, we realize that our parents might be looking for programs this summer, especially to help with review and reinforcement of academic skills. We have received a number of responses and several of our teachers are planning to work with us to provide options for this summer. A minimum enrollment would be required; so at this time I am gathering information to determine interest in attending an academic program to work on skills. Please contact me at dean@srles.com with your child(ren)’s name, grade level(s), and academic area(s) that you would like us to offer. Once we determine the interest level, we will announce more information about the programs and dates. At this time we are looking to offer a two week session (9am-noon each day) in July.
Summer work, supply lists, and other information in preparation for next school year will be shared as we get closer to the end of school.
Shoutout to Class of 2021
Please be sure to check out our Instagram srsnewtownct to share in the excitement of our Class of 2021. We are shining the spotlight on each member of the class as we celebrate them and countdown to graduation! We look forward to Class Night where parents and students will share fond memories from the years!
On Tuesday, the 8th graders will take the field for our first annual Bunny Bowl (formerly known as the Pumpkin Bowl, which was formerly known as the Turkey Bowl). Pumpkin, turkey, or bunny; it is bound to be a fun, friendly competition!
Please mark on your calendar, for May 27, which is Red Nose Day. Our 8th graders will be selling red noses for students to add to their masks; and taking pictures of the smiling red nosed, masked crowds, throughout the day. Proceeds go to help end child poverty; a way for us to reach out and help those who need our help and prayers. A day to serve while having fun!
Celebrations and Gratitude
Our younger learners are busy putting on the last layers of their foundational skills for their grade level and preparing celebrations to mark the many accomplishments they have made during the year! With the warm weather, we have a lot of summery treats and dress down days planned to reward classes for accomplishments throughout the year! Of course our little learners in preschool and kindergarten are also planning their graduations. So as you can see, St. Rose is alive with spirit, hope, and love!!
Field Day is fast approaching! This year we would like to bring back an old tradition of having the children tie dye t-shirts to wear that day. Mrs. Kirkman has graciously offered her last art classes for this fun activity. Each student is asked to send in a pre washed white t-shirt. Please watch your email for more details. We will be looking for a few extra hands to help us out; this will be an outdoor project.
We were blessed to be able to build classroom communities, bring some traditions back, finding ways to keep our community close, all while keeping everyone safe. The children had socially distanced, after school programs, a bit of basketball, Catholic Schools Week, including our Pig Races, International Week, Confirmation, First Eucharist, Red Carpet Day, and in the upcoming weeks...Bunny Bowl, Red Nose Day, Class Night for our 8th graders, Graduations, Field Day, and Ice Cream Treats!! We are also grateful to the staff at Church Hill Village; working together we are creating bonds between the generations and it has been a wonderful experience for our children!
Our students were able to have two mask breaks each day, and enjoy some unstructured time and physical activity. Now, with the beautiful weather, we are also bringing the children outside for lessons, lunches, prayer, and to just take in the beauty of God’s handiwork!
As the news keeps getting more positive, we are looking to next year to bring back not only specials classes like PE and Music, but also hot lunch, our after school programs, clubs, sports, and student activities; especially our Buddy Program and school community holiday celebrations.
While you continue to count down the days, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions and concerns. We have worked together to bring our children this far into the school year, let’s stay strong and moving forward during these last weeks!
May the loving presence of our Blessed Mother, bring you peace and calm in the upcoming weeks!
8th Grade VIP's walked the Red Carpet to receive "Best" awards -- they certainly gave their BEST at St. Rose School through the years!
HSA NEWS
Dear Parents,
Thank you for joining us for our meeting last night. If you missed it, here is a link to the recording and the meeting slides.
We are thrilled that Carrie Sirois has agreed to take on the role of HSA Secretary. Thank you, Carrie!
We introduced several items that require your support. Please complete the survey (one vote per family) so that we can move these decisions forward.
The updated HSA By-Laws can be accessed here for your review prior to voting.
Items 1-3: Elect /Re-elect HSA Board members.
Item 4: Approve disbursement of $20,000 to repay the portable classroom loan.
Item 5: Approve disbursement of $14,000 to cover cost of kitchen equipment.
Item 6: Approve updated HSA By-Laws.
We are very excited to welcome our school community to an end-of-year celebration at Castle Hill Farm on Friday, June 11th. Please mark your calendars - details to follow!
Thanks to many of you and especially to our teachers who have worked so hard to keep our school going through the pandemic. Next year is going to be incredible. As we return to "normal" life, we look forward to enjoying our fun traditions to bring our community together, and resuming to the HSA fundraisers that support our school. Your support and help will be needed, and we encourage you to get involved for the benefit of our whole school community.
Please be in touch with questions and to let us know of your willingness to help!