Welcome (Back)!

The quiet school hallways have been empty for too long, and the sound of children’s voices a memory—until now! The school’s summer break has come to an end; fall sports are in their second week, and school begins this Thursday. Welcome (back) to Saint Agnes School for its 136^th year of existence. 

We are so glad that you and your children will be a part of this community for the 2023-24 school year! We take seriously our part in the partnership you have undertaken with us this school year. We hope your summer was blessed with faith-renewal, fun, and family. Mr. Adkins and I were gifted a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for two weeks (we were also able to have our spouses with us), and our renewal in faith has been a gift to us (and our families, we hope). Please pray for our teachers (every day) at the start of the school year, and we will pray for you and your families as you enter this new school year! Welcome back to school.

Coffee and Donuts Following Lower School Drop-Off on First Day of School | Thurs. 8.24

We will have coffee, juice, and donuts available in the cafeteria after Lower School drop-off to celebrate the First Day of School and get your morning started right (and caffeinated). Stop down and visit with other parents or grab a coffee and donut to go!

Reminder: Please Submit Back to School Forms on Permission Click

By now each household should have received three email invitations from Permission Click to complete the following back to school forms:

• MN Non-Public Aid Request & Transportation Reimbursement
• Student Health Information – Annual Update
• Student/Parent Handbook Agreement

The email invitations only to go the primary household email address as indicated in TADS/Educate. If you have not received the email invitations or have not been able to complete the forms, please contact the Main Office. Thank you for your timely responses!

7-12 Schedules & Course Change Requests

Schedules for Upper School students are now visible in Educate and will be distributed to students on the first day of school. Students/parents may inquire with the School Counseling Office (Mrs. Jolene Schmitz or Mr. Alex Loesch) about changes or adjustments.

Course availability may be limited by section capacity. Please keep in mind that dropping or switching a course that was requested last spring will incur a $50 course change fee. In addition, parent approval will be needed for major changes (e.g. dropping a math class, switching to a different science course, or dropping an honors section for a regular section of any class). The opportunity for students in grades 7-12 to request changes ends on Wednesday, August 30th. 

2023-24 Back to School Important Dates

Tuesday, August 22nd - Preschool, Kindergarten, & Grade 1 "Meet My Teacher"

“Meet My Teacher” for Preschool, Kindergarten, and Grade 1 families will be Tuesday, August 22nd from 2:00-4:00 PM. “Meet My Teacher” provides students and parents the opportunity to see the classroom, meet teachers, drop off school supplies and paperwork, and prepare for a successful first day!

Wednesday, August 23rd - Upper School Orientation for ALL New Students and ALL 7th Grade Students

This special orientation event is for students who are new to the Upper School at Saint Agnes. This includes: ALL 7th Grade students and any other students transferring into the school in grades 8-12. Orientation will take place from 10:00am-12:30pm.

Thursday, August 24th - First Day of School/Orientation (Grades PreK-12)

The first day of school for Grades PreK-12 will be Thursday, August 24th. This day is a split-half day for the Lower and Upper Schools. Please note that no lunch will be served this day. Please see below for important information for each grade on the first day/week of school:

Lower School (PreK-6) – 7:55am-11:00am

All PreK-6 students report to their homerooms at 7:55am and will be dismissed at 11:00am. *No After School Care provided. All Preschool and Kindergarten students will attend half day 7:55am-11:00am on Friday, August 25. Students in 1st through 6th grade will dismiss at 2:45pm starting Friday, August 25. 

Upper School (7-12) – 12:00pm-2:45pm

All 7-12 grade students will report to House/Advisory at noon, participate in a welcome assembly, and then progress through their seven class periods. Dismissal will be at 2:45pm. They will report at 7:55am for their first full day on Friday, August 25th.

Cafeteria & Student Meals 2023-2024

There will be new State funding for School meals. The processes are not finalized by the state yet, but this is what has been decided so far:

Applications will still be required for the free/reduced meals. This allows Saint Agnes to still apply for grants and scholarships that are based on the percentage of free/reduced students (based on federal qualified applications) attending. It also allows us to receive the federal funds for the school meals. The new state funding will cover the difference. There are several other education benefits to Saint Agnes based on the number of approved applications. There are several fees (such as some testing fees) which are waived for qualifying students.

Households which don’t qualify for the federal free/reduced program do not need to fill out the paperwork; they will be set up for the State free meal program. But if you do qualify for the free/reduced program, please plan to fill out the necessary application. Saint Agnes relies on the several hundred thousand dollars we receive annually from the need-based grants & scholarships--this helps us keep the tuition as low as possible for everyone. Applications for 2023-24 will be available after July 1 and we will let you know as we obtain more details.

The new State funding covers the regular school meal, which includes a single serving of the regular meal with the salad bar and one milk. Extra entrée’s, extra milk or milk with lunch from home will remain the responsibility of the parents.  Students will still be using their pin numbers as they move through the lunch line.  

New Upper School Parent Orientation: Tuesday, 8.29 @ 8:15 AM 

Assistant Headmaster and Director of the Upper School, Mr. Karl Hendrickson, will be hosting a Parent Orientation Event for parents who are new to the Upper School. Come learn all the jargon and the inside scoop at Saint Agnes, like:

• What is a “House”?
• Is it “Day 1”? Does it matter?
• What is “Educate”? I thought that was the school’s job?
• My kid said he is in “'A' Lunch”...what does that mean?

Mark your calendars:

Upper School New Parent Orientation Event

Tuesday, August 29th

8:15-9:15 AM

UAC Auditorium

Costa Rica 2024

Come to the informational meeting for the Costa Rica trip on Monday, August 28^th from 6:30-7:30 PM in Room 373 (Mr. Wappes’ room)! Both parents and students can find out all the details of the trip, get their questions answered, and sign up for the trip. Attendance at this meeting is strongly encouraged for both students planning to travel with us and at least one of their parents. If you are unable to attend and would still like to find out more or have any questions regarding the trip, please reach out to Mr. Wappes or Mr. Walter.

Enrollment is already open for the June 10th-19th, 2024 Costa Rica trip. You can find more information and sign up at the trip website: www.explorica.com/Wappes-6221 and on this PDF. Be sure to use the code “Scholarship100” to receive $100 off for your trip by August 30th.

Day Care Assistant

Learn more here and apply here: https://careers.archspm.org/job/day-care-assistant-3/

Kitchen Help

The job description can be found here.

Please email Food Service Manager, Kelly DiPietro, with any inquiries. 

Hot Lunch Volunteers Needed Daily

We are looking for helpful hands and smiling faces to serve Hot Lunches daily from 10:30AM-1:30PM. Excellent opportunity to work with a great crew, see your students, and become an integral part of the Saint Agnes school day. You need to be current with VIRTUS/E3 and can sign up for whichever days work within your schedule. 

Sign-Up Genius links sent out monthly. Contact Volunteer Coordinator, Annette Beaudry, if interested at 651.925-8826. 

See the Saint Agnes athletic calendar for all times, locations, and livestreams for this week's games.

Please contact Athletic Director Mr. Streitz with any questions.

2023-24 School Supply Lists