XMS - Weekly Newsletter

Middle School

Weekly Newsletter

5/17/23

Praise the name of the LORD,

for his name alone is exalted;

His majesty is above earth and heaven. ~ Psalm 148

Dear XMS Families,

As the school year nears an end, we wanted to share some updates about plans for the 2023-24 school year.

New Dismissal Time for XMS in 2023-24

For the upcoming school year, our dismissal time at XMS will shift to 3:00pm. (Our start time will remain at 8:00am.) The adjusted start will enable us to create a new “Hawk Time“ (from 3:00pm - 3:30pm) to be used for:

Student Support: Teachers will be available on designated days to provide additional academic support for students. This will provide support to students who may have been out ill and/or missed school as well as time designated for students to get additional academic support from their teacher(s).
Staff Collaboration: On designated days, grade level and department groups will meet together for academic planning and to support our commitment to academic excellence. Because “Hawk Time” is designed similar to the “Z Period” at Xavier High School, this time will create the opportunity for better collaboration among our XMS & XHS teachers.

As we develop Hawk Time we’ll eventually create meeting and planning opportunities for our clubs and other student activities. In addition, we hope this designated time will enable us to expand and enhance our extracurricular clubs and activities.

Please note: Bus transportation will continue to pick up students at 3:30pm so all students can benefit from the academic support available during Hawk Time.

We want to offer special thanks for the faculty and staff who served as members of our Scheduling Committee. This group began working in December 2022 to explore creative, innovative ways to support student learning. Also, special thanks to the XMS Parent Advisory Group who provided insights and guidance as well. As with any new initiative, we will assess and adjust as needed and seek input from parents, students and our teachers. We are excited about this new initiative and feel this new schedule aligns the educational needs of our middle school students.

Xavier Middle School Staff Updates

Here are some staffing updates for 2023-24:

XMS Choral Director: Mrs. Anna Van Eperen

We are excited to announce that Mrs. Anna Van Eperen will be serving as the Choral Director at Xavier Middle School during the 2023-24 school year. Mrs. Van Eperen will continue to serve as Choral Director for Xavier High School. In this new role at XMS, she will be teaching our XMS Choir classes as well as working with our Fine Arts teachers to reinvigorate our XMS Choral Program.

5th Grade Teacher: Ms. Blake Hensley

Next school year, Ms. Hensley will be moving from 7th Grade Social Studies to become our new 5th Grade Teacher. Ms. Hensley has been at XMS for 5 years, and she co-chairs the WEB program as well as serving as our cheerleading coach. We are excited about her moving into this new role.

Mrs. Cathi Leyden: 7th Grade Science Teacher

We also welcome Mrs. Leyden as our new 7th Grade Science Teacher. Mrs. Leyden has been with the Xavier System for over 20 years. She currently serves as the 3rd Grade Teacher at Xavier Elementary-McDonald St. Mrs. Leyden brings great experience and a passion for science to XMS.

We would like to express much gratitude to some staff members who will be leaving us at the end of the 2022-23 school year. Blessings to Jenn Much, Michael Jerger, Barb Dodd, Carrie Hildeman, and Melissa Marquardt. They have all brought much value to our team and we wish them all the best.

I will keep you posted as we continue to build our awesome Xavier Middle School Team!

Eighth Grade Graduation

Eighth-grade graduation will be held on Tuesday, May 30th. Mass will be at 6:30 in the XMS auditorium followed by the graduation ceremony. There will be a small reception in the gym and the 8th graders will have a dance to end the evening. It will be a wonderful way to celebrate this special class! Click the link for more Important End of the Year Information.

Lost and Found

Please click here to take a look at the Lost and Found items we have collected to see if any belong to your family. Your child can pick their things up from the office lobby. All lost and found items will be donated after June 2nd!

Spring Orchestra Concert - Wednesday May 17th

Xavier High School (6pm for 4th and 5th grade, 7pm for 6th - 12th grade)

4th and 5th grade information:

The 4th and 5th grade strings will combine to present one of the largest Xavier orchestra ensembles ever, with almost 70 students onstage together! Featuring fun folk tunes and some familiar classics, come and hear these young musicians perform in their Spring Strings concert!

Concert Date: Wednesday, May 17th
Location: Xavier High School
Call Time: 5:30pm
Call Time Location: Choir Room
Dress: White tops, black on bottom

6th - 12th grade information:

We are very excited to have our individual performances for this concert, in addition to having a large 6th - 8th grade piece that will get your toes tapping. The 8th graders will be playing with the high school in a number of wonderful pieces and the high school portion will feature the Senior Soloists!

Concert Date: Wednesday, May 17th
Location: Xavier High School
Call Time: 6:40pm
Call Time Location: Band Room
Dress: White tops, black on bottom

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Kenney or Mrs. Koenigs

Spring Band Concert & Awards Night - Thursday, May 18th

Concert start time: 6:00pm (Grades 4, 5)

Concert start time: 6:30pm (Grades 6, 7, 8)

Meet Times:

5th Grade Band – meet in Choir Room at 5:30pm
6th Grade Band – meet in Orchestra Room at 6:00pm
7th Grade Band – meet in Reflection Room at 6:00pm
8th Grade Band – meet in Library at 6:00pm

Uniform: All black (skirts must have tights under, no shorts, dress nightly, short sleeves recommended. The Auditorium stage can get hot!)

The evening will begin with our 4th & 5th grade bands. This is the first concert for our 4th grade band students. We are continuing the tradition of a combined piece with the groups. This year's grand finale will be Majestic by Larry Clark.

We will have our annual spring awards presentations. Our traditional awards are Director Award, Leadership Award, Outstanding Band Member, and Musicianship Award. The 6th Grade Band will perform Tyrannosaurus Charlie and wonderful jazz pieces and Chorale and Prelude. The 7th & 8th grades will perform highlights from the musical Grease, and our finale will be the combined 6th, 7th and 8th grades entitled March Bits and Pieces.

Inside out Cafe

Inside out Cafe will have their last meeting of the school year next Thursday, May 25th after school until 4:15 in Ms. Bouchard's room.

8th Graders Visited by Local Author

On May 16th, Appleton Author Amanda Lauer, visited and spoke with the 8th graders about the writing process and her book series, A World Such as Heaven Intended. The students are reading the novel as part of the Language Arts curriculum in Mrs. Much's class. Lauer's four grown children are also proud graduates of Xavier.

Families are invited to purchase copies of Amanda Lauer's books for $15 each. She will be autographing the copies and orders are due by Friday, May 19th. Please click here to fill out the form to order. Questions can be directed to Jennifer Much at jmuch@xaviercatholicschools.org or (920) 730-8849 ext. 4121.

2023-2024 St. Bernadette Bus Registration

Xavier Strength & Conditioning Club

We will be offering a Strength & Conditioning Club at Xavier High School for students entering grades 5 - 12. For those in middle school, this age-appropriate program only costs $55. This program is not only available for anyone attending XMS, but also for anyone on combined club teams, and/or for anyone considering Xavier in the future.

Time-tested benefits for those in the program include:

Less Injuries
Better Performance
Increased Confidence
Elevated Desire
Trust and Respect (Earned from Peers and Coaches)
Bonds That Win Championships

Please click here to learn more about the program and/or to register for this opportunity. Remember, this is a "come when you can" program, so please do not worry about conflicts with camps, vacations, etc.

Fox Valley Saints Football

Registration for Fall 2023 Saints football closes Sunday May 21st. Please visit www.foxvalleysaints.com to register your player today. We may be able to accept registrations after 5/21 based on equipment availability, however rosters are nearly full so please sign up ASAP if you'd like to secure a spot on the team. If you have questions about the program or dates, please visit the website above or contact program director Peter Katz at foxvalleysaints@gmail.com.

Open Auditions for Christmas Stars!

Performing in Christmas Stars is a fun way to celebrate the Christmas season and support fine arts programs in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School System. Christmas Stars has provided over one million dollars to enhance fine arts in the system schools through disbursements to the XCS schools and by funding Christmas Stars scholarships to assist XCS students in pursuing fine arts enrichment activities. Please click here for more information or click here to sign up for an audition!