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February, 2012
Dear St. Catharine Families,
The February Parent Pack this month “launches” our new communication format for our school families. Communication between home and school is critical for the success of our students. Through the accessibility of our school website, teacher/ administration e-mails, notes from parents, and now our “on-line” Parent Pack, we hope to reach our families with news of school programs, events, and school updates. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions regarding this new Parent Pack format.
Please notice on the calendar that Student-Led Conferences are scheduled for February. Each student works very hard on preparing for these conferences with their parents. Reflection time on work, discussions with classroom teachers, and goal setting for the remainder of this year helps all our students grow in personal responsibility and academic progress. Student-Led Conferences last for one hour. This is an important educational support for your child and allows them time to share their work with their parents. Thank you for our support by your attendance at these conferences.
Congratulations to our 8th grade students who were recognized by Bishop Hartley High School as scholarship winners. We will post their names on our school website when we receive final confirmation from Bishop Hartley.
Please remember that families who are interested in receiving Level II grants for tuition assistance from the Diocese of Columbus or St. Catharine Parish must file “on-line” the FACTS application. Information regarding the on-line application is again included in this Parent Pack. The deadline for completion is March 15. Please file early. There are no extensions on this program. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to call.
Thank you to our teachers, students, families, and honored volunteers who helped to make this Catholic School Week a success. We are very proud of our students’ work, both academically and in the arts, and are always excited about sharing this with our school families.
Please keep our Second Grade students in your prayers as they prepare for the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday, February 25. In addition, this month marks the beginning of Lent. Students will again be participating in the Stations of the Cross during the weeks of Lent.
Thank you for your continued support of our school!
Sincerely,
Janet L. Weisner
Principal |
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January, 2012
Dear St. Catharine Families,
Happy New Year to all our families! Hopefully everyone enjoyed some family time over the beautiful Christmas season. We were certainly able to end the season of Advent with our Christmas program that was presented by Grades 2, 3, 4 and 8. In addition, we had a day of celebration the day before Christmas vacation that was sponsored by our active Student Council. Thanks to these students and Mrs. Ramsey for a wonderful day! Thanks, also, to our Home and School Association who worked on supplying our classrooms with items from their “Wish Lists”. Students will have the opportunity to use the gifts from the Wish List during their indoor lunch recesses (board games), reading times, and other materials for educational use.
January is a busy month for us. The end of the second quarter is on Friday, January 13, with Progress Reports going home to parents on Friday, January 20. In addition, January begins the registration process for incoming kindergarten and preschool students.
Please review the school calendar for additional important dates. Our traditional Catholic Schools Week celebration begins on Sunday, January 29 and ends on Friday, February 3. We will be sending home an additional information sheet on the events of the week. Please schedule some time on Tuesday, January 31 for a parent-student evening of celebration at school (7:00 – 8:30). We have art activities, music presentations, and tours of classrooms and student work that evening. Hopefully many of you will be able to join us. We will also hold an Open House for parishioners on Sunday (January 29) following the 11:00 Mass. This particular Open House (held from 12:00 until 2:00) will provide our parishioners without children or those families who might be interested in attending St. Catharine School with an opportunity to visit the school. This will include incoming kindergarten families (kindergarten information meeting will be held at 12:30; preschool information meeting at 1:00 in the preschool).
It seems like our students always grow over Christmas vacation. Please make sure that the length of girls’ uniforms adheres to the policies listed in the Parent Handbook. In addition, some of our boys need haircuts that address the length noted in the handbook. (“Boys’ hair must be off the ear, one (1) inch above the eyebrow, and neatly trimmed at the neck”). Your cooperation on these issues is greatly appreciated!
On January 24, our students will be participating in a program sponsored by Nationwide regarding internet safety. The programs will be geared to needs and issues appropriate to specific grade levels. This program has been used in some of our other Catholic schools and we are excited about this opportunity for our students. Please ask your children about their learned information during your dinner conversation on February 24. It provides all of us an opportunity to talk with our children about safety and security issues.
A reminder about the FACTS application process/ timeline is included in this packet. Families who are interested in receiving either Diocesan tuition assistance or St. Catharine Level II grants must complete an application. As in the past, your paid application fee will be deducted from the tuition costs. As last year, all applications are completed on-line
As always, please feel free to call with any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing many of you as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week (Catholic Schools – Faith. Academics. Service)!
Sincerely,
Janet L. Weisner, Principal |
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December, 2011
Dear St. Catharine Families,
As the month of December quickly approaches, the faculty and staff wish to each of you the blessings of the season and the wish that each of you will find time to reflect on the special time of preparation during Advent. Beginning this Monday, and continuing throughout Advent, our students will gather as a family each Monday morning around the Advent wreath for prayers and reflections that keep us focused on the meaning of the season. We always welcome these special times!
Thanks to all our families for their generous support of our “turkey baskets” that were made by our HEART groups. The canned goods that each of the groups collected for a Thanksgiving dinner were sent to the Griffin center. We appreciate your support of this needed assistance to those who are in need.
At this special time of year, we are also very aware of the needs of others. There is an information sheet on Advent Angels that the 4th grade will again be sponsoring for the Christ Child Association. The class would appreciate any support from the school community in their endeavor. The Girl Scout troop has a flyer about a canned goods collection that is being held. Finally, we are planning activities that celebrate the Christmas season with our students on Tuesday, December 20. One of the activities will be making blankets for children in our community.
Carefully review the calendar for December….we have a busy month of activities. The 8th grade will take their expertise with the hand bells to the Villas where they will celebrate the Christmas season with the residents. You are also welcome to attend a celebration of Christmas music by our students in grades 2 – 3 – 4 and 8 on Tuesday, December 13 at 7:00 in the gym. In addition, the students in grades 3 – 8 will be participating in a Penance service on Tuesday, December 13 as the liturgical calendar advances to the Advent season. Father Lumpe has scheduled a number of priests to assist with this service.
Interims for the second quarter of school will be sent home via mail for any students who are struggling to “Meet the Standards” in any academic areas. These will be mailed on Tuesday, December 6. If your child is academically progressing on standards during the second quarter, no interim will be sent.
Terra Nova Test results were received by the school this week. A parent information letter and test results will be sent to all parents during the week of December 5.
Congratulations to two of our students who are dancing with companies during the Christmas season:
Sean Fabb-Soto (Grade 5) is performing in the Matchgirl with Columbus Dance Theater; and
Elizabeth Hudelson (Grade 6) is performing in the Nutcracker
Finally, a reminder regarding pick-up of students at the end of the school day. We continue to encourage parents to use the rear of the school for pick up. During inclement weather, students are kept warm and dry as they wait to be picked up. This is accomplished in less than 10 minutes. Please note that the Safety Patrol (and supervisory teacher) are off patrol by about 3:10. We work diligently on child safety. Lately we have had students standing on the corner of Chesterfield and Fair unattended because they are waiting for their parents to pick them up, later than 3:10. This creates a possible unsafe situation for our students. Please work with us on picking up in the rear of the school where students are kept supervised by teachers until they are picked up by parents. As always, thank you for your cooperation and understanding in this situation.
Continued thanks to our school associations during the Christmas season. Partners in Education continues to fund our field trips and upcoming enrichment programs. Home and School will be working on classroom Christmas gifts (games for the classroom to be used at indoor lunch recess, classroom materials, playground balls etc) for all our students to share. We appreciate their generous support!
Merry Christmas!
Sincerely,
Janet L. Weisner
Principal |
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November, 2011
Dear St. Catharine Families,
On Tuesday, November 1, we celebrate All Saints’ Day. This gives us the opportunity to reflect on the importance of saints in our lives as models for our actions and way of living. I’m sure that we have seen saints “in action” in our daily lives within our school and parish community. Being in a Catholic school allows us the experience of talking about the importance of respect, dignity, and care for each other as seen modeled by the saints of our faith history. We can celebrate and share the lives of these saints with our students as they develop their attitudes towards others in a modern world! In addition to celebrating All Saints’ Day, our students will also attend Mass on Wednesday to celebrate All Souls’ Day. Students will be given the opportunity to reflect on those people who have influenced their lives but are no longer alive.
End of first quarter is tomorrow, Friday, October 28. There will be no school for students on Monday, October 31 as teachers will have a Record Day at school. Progress Reports will be sent home to all parents on Friday, November 4. Conference slips will be included in the Progress Reports and will reflect either a teacher requested conference or a parent requested conference. Returning these slips by Monday, November 7 will allow us time to schedule conferences (held on Thursday, November 10 from 4:00 – 7:00 and Tuesday, November 15 from 4:00 – 6:30).
Morning “Drop Off”: Parents who drop off their children in the rear of the school in the morning are asked to circle around to the edge of the Church so that multiple cars can “unload” in the mornings. If everyone helps with this procedure, student drop off should be more efficient!
Christmas/ Music Programs:
Kindergarten (Monday, December 5) at 2:00 in the gym
Grades 2-3-4-8 (Tuesday, December 13) at 7:00 in the gym
Grades 1 – 5 – 6 – 7 will have an opportunity for a musical performance during the second semester. We have certainly enjoyed the beautiful music (instrumental and bell choirs) at our Wednesday school Mass!
Congratulations to the following St. Catharine School graduates who have received recognition for their academic work and effort:
Michelle Summers (Bishop Hartley High School)
Semifinalist for the National Merit Scholarship Program
Kathy O’Connor (Bishop Hartley High School)
Commended student for the National Merit Scholarship Program
Please remember to view the school website….any updates/ reminders/ changes in schedules will be noted on the front of the school website.
The St. Catharine SPICE group is one of eight (8) Diocesan SPICE groups that are sponsoring a Chili Cook-Off and 5K run on Saturday, November 12. An information sheet is included in this packet. We are hoping that some of our parents and families will be able to join us for this awareness and family event!
Students will meet again this year in their HEART groups. These HEART (Helping Everyone Attain Respect and Tolerance) groups consist of students from each grade level who meet with one of our teachers to participate in prayer, service, or student activities that allow the students time to work and know other students in our school. These groups are led by our 8th grade students who model leadership and responsibility to those in their group. This month, the students are meeting to develop their HEART shields and spending time in meeting the new students in their groups (new and kindergarten students). In November, they will be working together to plan a Thanksgiving dinner that will be donated to needy families at the Griffin Center. Information about food items that will be needed will be sent home with the students.
We are so thankful for the blessings of this community and parish. During this Thanksgiving season, we will continue to be mindful of the rich blessings that God has bestowed on our school and its families!
Sincerely,
Janet L. Weisner, Principal |
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October, 2011
Dear St. Catharine Families,
We’re off to a great, but busy school year! Please make sure that you continue to read the school website and review the enclosed calendar for important “upcoming” events.
Please remember that there is no school on Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4 for the Ohio Catholic Education Association Teacher Conference.
Regular Uniforms take effect on Wednesday, October 5. This gives everyone a long weekend to check and purchase uniforms that conform to the policy listed in the school handbook. Please refer to the regulations listed below:
Girls:
- Uniform jumper in Grades 1 – 8 (purchased at School Day Uniforms or School Closet). Length of jumper must be no shorter than two inches above the knees. Navy blue dress slacks may be worn in place of the jumper. These slacks must also be purchased at School Day Uniforms or School Closet.
- Blouses: Yellow regulation blouses with pointed, round, or button-down collar. Long or short sleeves are acceptable.
- Sweaters: Solid navy sweaters (v-neck or cardigan). Hunter green or navy sweatshirts
with the school emblem may also be worn with the school uniform. These sweatshirts must be purchased through School Days Uniforms or School Closet.
- Socks: Solid white crew socks or navy/white knee socks, or navy/white tights. No logos on socks.
- Shoes: Black, brown, or navy leather shoes with a heel no higher than 1”. No
athletic style shoes or shoe boots.
Boys:
- Pants: Navy blue uniform-style dress slacks.
- Belt: Black, brown, or navy belt
- Shirt: Yellow knit or cotton blend shirt with a collar, buttoned except for top button. No logos are permitted. Must be tucked in at all times, exposing the belt.
- Sweaters: Solid navy sweaters (v-neck or cardigan). Hunter green or navy sweatshirts with the school emblem may also be worn with the school uniform. These sweatshirts must be purchased through School Days Uniforms or School Closet
- Socks: White crew socks or navy socks. No logos on socks.
- Shoes: Dress black, brown, or navy leather shoes (no athletic style shoes or shoe
boots)
Pick-Up (after school): We continue to encourage parents to use the back parking lot to pick up students after school. It is easy, efficient, and safe. In a matter of 10 minutes, all students are picked up by parents. In bad weather, students wait in the gym for cars to pick them up from the lot. If there are any problems in regard to delays in pick-up, we keep the students with us until you arrive.
Terra Nova Tests: These standardized tests will be given to all students in grades 3- 8 during the week of October 17. Please make sure that there are no appointments during this week. These tests are difficult for students to make up if they miss portions of the tests. There is no preparation for these tests, but parents are asked to make sure their children eat a good breakfast and get plenty of sleep during the week of testing.
October marks a wonderful month that is dedicated to Mary and also Guardian Angels. The classes will use this month to focus on the Rosary, the devotions/prayers to Mary, and the importance of angels in our lives. During our weekday Masses, we will begin to implement the new changes in wording that will be implemented with the new Roman missal. All of our classes have spent time learning more about these changes. Thanks to our new music teacher, Mrs. Pitstick, our classes have been assisting musically in our Wednesday school masses. The students are doing a beautiful job with their voices, recorders, and handbells!
The students in Grades K – 8 will be participating in a “running/walking activity” this Friday afternoon. Mrs. Grogg has been working with the students in the physical education classes about the importance of walking/running and exercise. We’re looking forward to having our students participate in a 5K run (around the property) as a final activity in this unit! They have been well prepared for this event.
Thanks to all the parents who attended our Curriculum Nights in September. St. Catharine School is proud of the strong relationship between parents and teachers in respect to students’ spiritual and academic progress. By working together, our students work on developing their God-given abilities and gifts. Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Janet L.Weisner
Principal |
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