When my family and friends ask me how the school year went last year, I usually answer (half-jokingly), "Well, it's over."

Thinking back on all of the obstacles we had to overcome, it gives us a sense of relief and optimism for the future. However, as challenging as the last school year may have been, I

don't want to dismiss the positive outcomes that came from it. We are stronger today not just because of the physical, mental, emotional, and financial hardships, but because of the positive examples of our brothers and sisters rising above all of it for the sake of others.

Describing someone as resilient has become an undeniable complement. When we can describe our students as resilient we have a feeling of confidence that they have developed the self-efficacy to be better prepared to take on any future challenges that come their way.

However, we don't become more resilient just by going through tough times. For example, social isolation doesn't necessarily make us better at being socially isolated. Being depressed doesn't make us better at being depressed.

However, it is the collection of positive experiences in our life that leads to resiliency. It is in the hope of a better day and the grace and kindness of others that enable us to "weather the storm." With all of the challenges, I am proud of our students and our staff for not just surviving the year, but coming out of it a better person.

The school office will be closed until Monday, August 2nd. However, if you need to speak to someone directly, we will be checking voicemail and emails.

As previously indicated, the Diocese of Columbus Office of Catholic Schools has made the decision to no longer have Digital Academy serve as out Student Information System. The Digital Academy portal is no longer available for parents, teachers, or administrators.

The Diocese is currently making the transition to FACTS as our School Information Systems and Learning Management System. St. Catharine School has already partnered with FACTS for our Tuition Management. Although this will be the third SIS in three years, we are looking forward to the stability and support of a reputable, established company to partner with.

More information about parent onboarding will be sent in the near future.

One of the most misleading notions I have heard since this pandemic is the need to "get our students caught up." My initial reaction is to ask, "Get caught up to who?" Our students have excelled under the circumstances of the past school year and based on their STAR scores have made tremendous progress in one school year as a group.

I realize that Reading and Math standardized testing in only one piece of the educational puzzle. However, when looking at Achievement and Growth for both tests, we have made tremendous progress.

In looking at Reading and Math, over 90% of our students were considered "Highly Proficient" and over 2/3 of our students were in the "High Growth" category compared to their peers across the nation.

Just in time for the FunFest 2021, parent volunteer hours have been re-established. School parents may sign up for volunteer hours during the FunFest to go toward their suggested fifty hours for school. In addition to FunFest, there will be plenty of opportunities to serve our school community. For more information on the FunFest, click here.

This year, we will be hosting our curriculum night scheduled by grade-bands on consecutives nights. We will start in the Parish Hall as a large group and finish by grades in each individual classroom.

Save the Dates! We will be hosting a series of presentations and discussions this Fall to help parents navigate some key aspects of their child's education and how to better collaborate to ensure student success.

I wish all of you a joyous summer and please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything.

Yours in Christ,

Mark Watts

Home and School would like to offer you the opportunity to have all of your school supply shopping done for the 2021-2022 school year! If your child is entering Grades 2-8, you can order your child’s school supply packet now, which will be packaged and placed on your child’s desk at the start of the 2021-2022 school year. Star Beacon continues to provide great prices for our group order!

Please note, Kindergarten and 1 st grade teachers request a supply fee to purchase their own supplies and ask you to supply a couple of items, so please keep an eye out for a separate note from your Kindergarten or 1 st grade teacher.

You are responsible for placing your own order and paying directly online. Your order must be placed by JULY 31 to guarantee fulfillment. The full 2021-2022 School Supply list is also enclosed and is posted on Backpack Express on the school website.

In the Comments section, please list your student’s name, grade, and favorite color.

Please reach out to Kathy Kropp kkropp@cdeducation.org or call the office to claim your copy!

Each yearbook is $10

Join us in the back parking lot on Monday, August 23 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm for our annual Back to School Ice Cream Social.

We will have:

*St Catharine School and Church is not responsible for lost or stolen gift cards. They do not keep records of card numbers. Therefore, we suggest making note of your card numbers in case you are a victim of theft

E-gift cards and Reloads can be done at any time through the website or app (RaiseRight).

The Diocese of Columbus Office of Catholic Schools COVID Task Force has developed guidelines for the summer after school is officially out. Please click on this link to read the document.

Week 1: Fractions – July 19^th – July 23^rd

Week 2: Decimals – July 26^th – July 30^th

Week 3: Percents – August 2^nd – August 6^th

We encourage students to sign-up up for an entire week but can also register daily. To Register for the camp, please click on this link.

In addition to Math Camp, we will be offering a Writers Workshop for rising sixth, seventh, and eighth graders this summer. The camp will be free for students and will run for three consecutive weeks, Monday through Friday, from 1:00 to 4:00 at St. Catharine School.

Week 1: Informative/ Explanatory Writing - July 19^th – July 23^rd

Week 2: Argumentative Writing - July 26^th – July 30^th

Week 3: Narrative Writing - August 2^nd – August 6^th

We encourage students to sign-up up for an entire week but can also register daily. To Register for the camp, please click on this link.

Please give a warm St. Catharine School welcome to our new teachers and staff! We are excited for you to meet them.

Hello! I’m Greer Fitzgerald and I am incredibly excited to be the new Kindergarten teacher at St. Catharine’s School. Having attended Catholic schools through graduate school and being part of the parish for the past 6 years, I am so excited to have the opportunity to be more involved in the community and be a part of your child’s education and growing love for Jesus!

I bring over 10 years of experience in the education field and am already planning for an amazing year with your children. I am an avid reader and I hope to instill that love of reading into all of my students. When not teaching, I am a busy parent to three children (ages 11, 8, and 4).

I am truly looking forward to joining the St. Catharine’s school community and developing new relationships with you and your children!

Hi St. Catharine School! My name is Erin Tonnous and I'm so honored to assume the role as cafeteria manager for the 2021-2022 school year. My husband Anthony and I live in Millersport, East of Columbus, with our 5 kids, Ty, Quinn, Jack, Jamey, and Vivienne, our adopted cat Herman and our Great Dane Willa. This past year, we moved from South Eastmoor, and have been busy remodeling our 115 year old farmhouse and enjoying our land and huge fruit and vegetable garden!

I grew up in the St. Pius X Church and school community and attended Bishop Hartley, graduating in 1993. I've spent the last 20+ years in foodservice, working every single job in a restaurant, and have been lucky enough to spend the last 7 running my own food truck, Erin's Lunchbox!

I'm so excited to meet all of our kids and I can't wait to show each and every one of you that school lunch can be delicious and satisfying. My hope is to teach you to love and appreciate food in a new way!

Anthony and I are so excited to join this community and as our oldest heads off to college in the fall, our youngest 2 will be attending St. Catharine School in kindergarten and first grade! Oh my!

Sunday 8:30a - 11:00a - 5:00p

6:00a - 9:00p daily except Saturday

Saturday 6:00a -4:00p