Dear Parents,
The Catholic Sacrament of
Reconciliation (also known as Penance) has three elements: conversion,
confession and celebration. In it we find God's unconditional forgiveness; as a
result we are called to forgive others. The peace of mind and soul which
this sacrament imparts to us is one for which there is no substitute. It is a
peace that flows from a certainty
that our sins have been forgiven and that we are right with God. As we continue
our Lenten journey and look forward to the resurrection of Christ, the 2nd
through 8th graders will receive penance next Wednesday, April 9th.
Please consider joining us for our next Family
Mass, this Sunday, April 6th at 10:00am. The 1st and 3rd
graders are taking the lead in preparing this mass, which will carry a Spring
theme. We hope to see you all there.
Tomorrow evening,
in Carroll Hall at 7:00pm, the Parents’ Club will have their
first-Thursday-of-the-month meeting. Come with your thoughts, ideas, and
suggestions. See you there!
We
have had a lot of interest in starting a Men’s Club. We foresee this club as
having various roles; assisting in a more formal way in school activities i.e.
Cioppino cooking, pancake breakfast, parking and/or security for events, as
well as having a social component such as pick up games, Monday night football gatherings etc. We will put a survey online
shortly to get input from our dads on how they would like to see this club
evolve.
First Communion
meeting: Also tomorrow night, at 6:30pm in the church, our 2nd grade
teacher, Claudia Heikel, and Msgr. Labib will meet with the families whose
children are receiving first communion this year. This is a mandatory meeting
for all of these families.
FACTS Tuition Management:
As we said at our last mandatory parent meeting, we are very excited to partner
with FACTS Tuition Management for the 2014-2015 school year. The fee, per
family, per year for this service is $46, not $43 as previously mentioned. This
fee will be due
when you sign up with FACTS. Today you will be receiving an invitation email
from FACTS to complete your registration. Please follow the instructions
carefully. If you do not receive that email invitation or have any questions,
please contact Melody in the office.
Financial
Policies:
Grades kindergarten through seventh are receiving the Financial Policies for
the 2014-2015 school year today. We have managed to keep the tuition increase
at 3.5% despite the salary increase for all faculty and staff members, the 8%
projected increase in the cost of employee benefits for the coming school year,
as well as the increased cost of textbooks, school supplies and activities. We
hope to balance this low increase by raising the amount of fundraising closer
to the Archdiocese average.
Parent
Tuition Agreement and Parent Participation Requirements: Returning kindergarten through
seventh graders are receiving the Parent Tuition Agreement and the Parent
Participation Requirements for the 2014-2015 school year today. Please
read them over and then complete both forms and return them to us
by the deadline, Wednesday, April 16th. By returning those
forms, we will know that you agree with the Parent Tuition Agreement
and that you acknowledge and understand the Parent Participation Requirements
for the coming school year. Please keep in mind that tuition payments for the
2014-2015 school year will be processed through FACTS Tuition Management.
Capital Campaign Phase 2:
As discussed at our last parent meeting, every family is receiving a Capital
Campaign Phase 2 pledge packet today. As per the financial policies, we ask
that every family
respond to the pledge. There is no specific, required contribution. The level
of response from all school families to the Campaign is reviewed annually when
the schedule of tuition rates and fees is set for the coming school year. The
due date to respond is April 16th, 2014.
PM Extended
Care: Since
the last day in March was just two days ago, Extended Care invoices for March
are not included in today's Wednesday
envelope. They will be included in next Wednesday's envelope. Please
note: This will mean a shorter grace period before the due date of Wednesday, April 16th, which is the last day before
Easter break. Thanks for your prompt payments!
Spirit Week: The Student Council has
included information about Spirit Week, which begins on Monday,
April 7th with Pajama day.
See's
Candies: The deadline for ordering has been
extended to Friday, April 4th. Candy orders will be available on
April 11th just in time for Easter. Complete and return the form you
previously received. Extra forms are available from the office.
Knockout: As a reminder, knock-out is this Friday.
Sign-ups will be accepted until tomorrow at dismissal. This fun contest is open
to all 3rd through 8th graders. The entry fee is only $5!
The knock-out competition will be held on Friday, April 4th
beginning at 12:30pm in the gym. We invite all to join us for this fun event.
Dance Festival!:
Save the date! This year, our Dance Festival will be held on
Thursday night, May 22nd. This is the most popular event of the year
and is always very well attended. Our dance teacher, Sue Rissotto, has been
working very hard all year long to ensure that each student has a role in this
spectacular production. All students, Preschool through eighth grade, are
expected to participate in this event.
Morning Drop-Off: As a reminder, the schoolyard does not open until 7:45 in the
mornings. Children dropped off prior to that time will be checked in to morning
care and will be charged the $10 drop in fee. It is not safe to leave children
unsupervised in front of the school.
At
this time of the year, teachers of all classes will begin working on the Family
Life portion of the Religious Education curriculum. All grades will be using
the Benziger Family Life series. We strongly encourage you to use this time to
talk with your child about your family’s individual views and expectations.
Please contact your child's teacher directly if you have any questions about
this program.
Finally, we are investigating new flooring
for our 1st through 8th grade classrooms. Do you have any
contacts in this business? Please let the office know.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
