ST. ROBERT SCHOOL PARENT NEWSLETTER

Friday, September 13, 2024

A Note from Mrs. Bushey

Dear Families,

Thank you to all of our families who were able to attend Thursday's Meet the Teacher event! We were thrilled to see so many families join us! The bridge between home and school is crucial to a child’s success, and it’s encouraging to know that our teachers and parents are working together in communication and support. Your presence and involvement play a significant role in our students’ achievements and overall school experience. One common theme last night across the grade levels is communication. I would like to take a minute to remind you that you are your child's biggest advocate. If something feels "off" when they report something home to you, it likely isn't the entire accurate story-they are kids after all! But...I encourage you to reach out to the teacher before getting upset about a situation. Likely, after hearing the "other side of the story", it makes more sense. Also, if your child is coming home struggling with homework, spending hours on homework, if you are reteaching things every single night - something is off. This is not what is expected from any of us here at SRS. Please talk to the teacher and let him/her know what is happening. The teacher is not at home with you, the children remember about 25% of what you tell them to tell the teacher, and if your child is spending 3 hours every single night on homework, something is off. Please reach out to the teacher to find out what is going on. We appreciate your dedication and look forward to a fantastic school year ahead with you and your child!

I apologize for not having the NWEA scores printed for you - it completely slipped off my to-do list! Those will be sent home today! Please contact me or your child's teacher if you have questions on understanding the data.

Next week, we begin NWEA testing for this year. You will hear more on this next week.

If you would like to see the standards we teach here at SRS and across the Diocese, please click here: https://www.dioceseoflansing.org/education/catholic-school-curriculum

The T-Shirts that many of you ordered through Powers are delayed. I've been told that they will be here soon!

God Bless,

Sarah

DRESS CODE UPDATE

Today was our first Jean Day and it came with some questions about the acceptable dress. Just a few highlights from the "Q&A" that we had at lunchtime today with both upper and lower elementary:

Q. May I wear my St. Robert sports uniform?

A. Yes, on your game day (or the Friday before if it's a weekend game), with a collared shirt underneath, as long as it is a sport sponsored by St. Robert/GCCS.

Q, May I wear SRS PJ pants or sweats on Jean Days?

A. No, but you can on Casual Days!

Q. May I wear spirit wear that has been made and purchased outside of the school-sponsored store (for example the Pink Out shirts, or made by a friend or company/store)?

A. No (the pink shirts were for last year, but you can wear them on Casual Days!)

Q. May I wear Powers Spirit Wear?

A. On Powers Homecoming Day (October 4) - YES!

On an SRS Jean Day - no

On a Casual day - YES!

Here is the link to the dress code for further clarification: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:7aed1031-3604-4e73-956c-26669f0182c1

EMERGENCY CARDS

Emergency cards were emailed to all school families last week and were due today. If you haven’t already done so, please complete the emergency card for your child(ren). Directions were included in the email. Please email the card back to the school office by Monday, September 16. Contact the office if you have any questions.

BUSING REMINDER

There will be NO TAKE HOME BUSES on Wednesday, September 18. Morning buses will run as usual.

CONGRATULATIONS STUDENT COUNCIL

President – Paige (8th)

Co-Vice-Presidents – Maria & Noah (8th)

Secretary – Jillian (8th)

Treasurer – Zahi (6th)

5^th Grade Representatives – Samantha & Gigi

6^th Grade Representatives – Thomas & Cameron

7^th Grade Representatives – Addy & Emalyse

8^th Grade Representatives – Ben & Levi

SCHOOL PICTURES

Mark your calendar! School pictures will be taken on Wednesday, October 2. Students are required to wear dress code clothing for pictures. Anything other than regular school dress code is not acceptable. We will have a special dress up picture day in the spring. Everything related to pictures will be electronic this year, so please watch your email for picture packet information. Picture Retake Day will take place on Thursday, October 10.

CASUAL DAY FOR A CAUSE

CASUAL DAY FOR A CAUSE – We will once again hold Casual Days for a Cause during most of the months of the school year. Each casual day will cost $1.00. The money from the casual days will go toward various fundraisers that we do each year (Pi Day, Earth Day, Fun Fair, etc.) and for those that may pop up unexpectedly (disaster relief, help for a school family, etc). Watch the monthly calendars and newsletters for dates/information. The money collected for our first Casual Day for a Cause, Friday, September 27, will be donated to Catholic Charities.

PIP REMINDER

PIP points are accrued from March to March each year. Don’t forget to submit your PIP points if you have any that you earned from April 2024 and throughout the summer. PIP statements will go home at the end of the first quarter. The PIP point tracking form can be found here or on the school website (“Parent Resources” section, click on “PIP Point Tracking Form”).

VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

There are specific prerequisites required (Virtus, Criminal Background Check, Code of Conduct Form, and Volunteer Driver Form if you want to drive on field trips) for anyone who wants to volunteer at St. Robert School, and they must be completed before volunteering starts. A volunteer packet (with a neon green cover letter) was sent home to all school families last week. Extra copies of the packet are available in the school office. Please contact the office if you have any questions.

GRASP

Did your child complete the GRASP program over the summer and receive a certificate and/or medal? If so, please send the certificate/medal to the school office. We will hold on to them and include them in our end of year award assembly, so that your child can be officially recognized for his/her achievement.

PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATION (PTO) (formerly Boosters)

Join us for the first PTO (formerly Boosters) meeting of 24/25 to find out what this wonderful parent group has planned for SRS. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 17 at 6 pm in the Media Center. Please email Lauren at laurengasper1@gmail.com if you’d like to join the PTO, but won’t be able to attend the meeting. You do receive 1 PIP point for attending PTO meetings. We hope to see you there!

GCCS NEWS

Special Mass -- Grades 4-6 will be attending the annual GCCS Mass at Powers on Wednesday, September 18.

Powers Special Event

ATHLETICS

5/6 Girls Basketball

Monday, 9/16 - 6pm SRS vs. Panthers at Holy Family

5/6 Flag Football

Sunday, 9/15 - 2:30pm SRS vs. Holly Academy at Powers

7/8 Tackle Football

Tuesday 9/17 – 5pm, SRS vs. Standish at Powers

St. Robert Competitive Cheer for girls in grades 6-8 will begin on November 19. Please email Mr. Zintsmaster at tzintsmaster@strobertschool.com or Mrs. Bushey at principal@strobertschool.com if your daughter is interested in participating.

LITTLE NINJAS

Little Ninjas will begin a new 6-week preschool session (ages 3-5). The classes, which may be split, will run Saturdays from 10-10:30am. The cost is $50 ($30 for each additional child in the family), and is due at the first class. Uniforms (if needed) are $39. Please call or text Flushing Karate at (810) 733-3000 if you’d like to register or have any questions.