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Week 1, Hope Dear Jesus, you are the hope in our messy world. This Advent, help us to slow down, listen to your voice, and focus on what’s really important. We place our hope in you as we prepare our hearts to celebrate your birth on Christmas. Amen. Week 2, Peace Dear Jesus, you entered our world on Christmas as the Prince of Peace. This Advent, as we strive to become the-best-version-of-ourselves, fill us with a deep and abiding peace. Help us share that peace with everyone we encounter, especially those who need it most. Amen. Week 3, Joy Dear Jesus, help us focus on you during this busy season. May we stay aware of the joy you bring into our lives. We want to find you in the everyday moments and come with hearts of gratitude to your manger on Christmas. Amen. Week 4, Love Dear Jesus, may the light of your love always shine in our hearts. As Christmas draws closer, we marvel at your great love for us. Let your love transform every aspect of our lives and touch everyone we encounter. Our hearts are open to you, Jesus. Amen. FOLLOWING IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING ATTENTIVE: Attentive – I watch and listen carefully. My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Proverbs 4:20 Adelyn Loberg, Theo LaFave, June Feuerhelm, Sophia Oricchio, Audrey Marks, Gavin Wittenberg 4YK – CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER: Attentive – Jordy McHardy CHRISTMAS CARDS: Send us your Christmas Cards! We would love to add your family to our St. Francis Families Christmas Card Display. You may send your card to school with your child or mail it to: St. Francis School PO Box 250 244 W. Woodworth Street Ellsworth WI, 54011 Thank you and Merry Christmas! SHOPAROO AND BOX TOPS: Thank you for sending in your box tops! We will be receiving a check for $230.00 Thank you for taking the time to use the Shoparoo App, we recently received a check for $99.00 POTENTIAL INCOMING 4YK STUDENTS AND REGISTRATION FOR NEXT YEAR: We will begin our registration process for next year in early January with a mailing to potential 4YK students. If you have a child who will be 4 years of age by September 1, 2019, and would like to receive registration materials for St. Francis School, please send me your child’s name and birth date as soon as possible. If you know of a family in our area who might like to receive registration information for any grade, please send or call me with the contact information. Registration materials will be sent to potential 4YK and K families at the beginning of January. Registration forms for our current students will also be sent home on January 6. Thank you for your help in spreading the good news about our school! THANKSGIVING VACATION - NOVEMBER 27-29: There will be no school on Wednesday, November 27 through Friday, November 29 for Thanksgiving Vacation. Classes will resume again on Monday, December 2. HOME AND SCHOOL MEETING - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: Our Next Home and School Meeting will be Thursday, December 5 at 6:00pm. SCHOOL COLORS DAY - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6: Students are encouraged to dress in school colors, blue and white, on the first Friday of the month, December 6. Show your school pride! FAMILY FUN NIGHT DANCE - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6: Our Family Fun Night Dance is scheduled for Friday, December 6. Please see the Home and School Association section of this newsletter for more information. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12: Grades K-5 will present our annual Christmas Program on Thursday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. in our church. We will have a reception in the parish hall immediately following the program. Each family is asked to bring some type of food (cookies, bars, cheese & crackers, etc.) for this reception. A dress rehearsal will be held Wednesday, December 11 at 1:30 p.m. This is open to anyone who would like to attend. Our main focus for the next few weeks will be making the final preparations for our K-5 Christmas Program! Mrs. Penton and our children have been working hard, and are very eager to share their efforts with you! CHRISTMAS/SPRING PROGRAMS AVAILABLE ON DVD: Our Christmas and Spring Programs will be recorded and placed on a DVD. If you’d like to purchase a copy of the DVD ($25 each), please complete and return the order form that is included in your weekly envelope, along with your payment. DVDs will be sent home prior to the end of the school year. ELLSWORTH FOOD PANTRY FOOD DRIVE: Thank you for your support thus far, but we need a LOT more food to give our friends and neighbors in need of a hearty holiday meal. We are trying to meet needs for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, so please help us by giving what you can. Reminder: Tell your relatives that we will be accepting food and money donations at both performances of the Christmas Program on December 11th and 12th. 5th grade will be delivering our donations to the Ellsworth Food Pantry on Friday, December 13th. FIFTH GRADE CLASS TRIP TO THE FOOD PANTRY – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13: On Friday, December 13 our fifth grade class will be delivering the donation items to the food pantry. A permission slip for this trip is included in the monthly envelope for those students. Please complete the permission slip and return it by Wednesday, December 4. 4YK AND PRESCHOOL WINTER PROGRAM - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18: Our 4YK and Preschool students will present a Winter Program to their parents and guests on Wednesday, December 18. Refreshments will be served after the program. KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS CHRISTMAS POSTER CONTEST: Students in grades 1-5 have been invited to participate in the annual KC Christmas Poster Contest. First place entries from grades 1-4 are eligible to be sent on to the diocesan level contest. Students will complete these posters at school. Winners will be announced at our Christmas program on December 12. CHRISTMAS VACATION: Students will be dismissed at 3:25 on Friday, December 20 for Christmas vacation. Classes will resume on Thursday, January 2. FIRST RECONCILIATION FOR SECOND GRADE - JANUARY 15: First Reconciliation will be at 6:00 pm. END OF SECOND QUARTER - THURSDAY, JANUARY 16: The second quarter ends on Thursday, Jan. 16. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES – FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 (NO SCHOOL): Parent-teacher conferences is by teacher or parent request. Teacher requests will be sent out closer to the date Please remember that you can view your child’s grades (Grades 3-5) in our JMC program. SCHOOL CARNIVAL - SUNDAY, JANUARY 26: Our St. Francis school carnival is scheduled for Sunday, January 26. Please see more information under the Home and School Section of this newsletter. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK OPEN HOUSE - FEBRUARY 2: We will join in the national observance of Catholic Schools Week January 26 - February 2, and conclude the activities with an Open House on Sunday, February 2. Students in grades 1-5 are asked to sing in the choir for the 10:30 a.m. Mass. Fifth grade students will be selected for the role of lector, and fourth and fifth grade students for servers. If your child would like to be considered for one of these roles as lector or server, please send a note to my office no later than Wednesday, January 8. Our Open House on Sunday will begin at 9:15, following the 8:30 Mass, close during the 10:30 Mass, and continue again after the 10:30 Mass until 1 p.m. The St. Francis Youth Ministry will be serving cinnamon rolls on this morning as well. TUITION STATEMENTS: Tuition Statements can be printed from JMC for tax purposes. WI TAX SCHEDULE PS - PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION: WI tax Schedule PS is used to claim the subtraction for tuition paid for your dependent child to attend a private school. The subtraction is available for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2014. The form requires the name, address, and federal employer identification number (FEIN) of the private school where your child was enrolled during 2017. For St. Francis students, you will need to use: St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 264 S. Grant Street, P.O. Box 839, Ellsworth, WI 54011. Reminder: In order to claim tuition expenses on your 2019 tax return, payments must be received by the parish no later than December 31, 2019. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS ST. FRANCIS CLOTHING ORDER: Please use the following link to order St. Francis Clothing. Orders need to be placed by Saturday, November 30 to receive items in time for Christmas. https://stfrancisschool.itemorder.com HOME & SCHOOL MEETING - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: The next Home and School Meeting will be Thursday December 5th at 6:00pm in the KC room at the school. Supper will be provided starting at 5:30pm and also childcare for the kiddos. If anyone has anything they would like added to the agenda please call or message Kate Acker at 715-495-2600. See you there! FRIDAY FAMILY FUN NIGHT GLOW DANCE: We are super excited to be hosting a “Glow in the Dark” family dance in honor of Marlee May Erlandson on Friday, December 6th from 6-8pm in the St. Francis Parish Hall. All are welcome! You don’t need to be connected to St. Francis to attend! The cost is $25 a family and includes a hot dog meal, drinks, Josie Erlandson's homemade cookies, face painting, music, dancing and prizes! We will also have candy for sale for $1 at our "Candy Shop." All children MUST be accompanied by an adult. Donations accepted if unable to attend! All proceeds go to new technology upgrades for St. Francis School and the Marlee May Erlandson Scholarship Fund. Please share with friends and family! It is going to be such a fun night! MEAT RAFFLE FUNDRAISER: Thank you to all who attended the St. Francis meat raffle at Broz! It was a fun night and it was great to have extras from a different crowd helping us! Angie M, and Katie F, and all others who helped did an amazing job! Look forward to more of these in the future. “FUN IN THE SUN” CARNIVAL UPDATE: Hello families! The carnival committee is in full swing now! You should have received your Grand Raffle tickets and Traditional Raffle tickets last week. They were sent home with your oldest child in their daily folders that come home from their teacher. We are asking all families to try to sell 2 Grand Raffle tickets and 5 booklets of Traditional raffle tickets. If you have sold some raffle tickets please be sure you're turning that money into the office so we have an accurate count as we move along as to how many tickets we have left to sell! We are asking all families to bring in 2 - two liter bottles of pop as follows: 4YK: Sprite 3rd: Orange K: Root Beer 4th: Mello Yello/ Mt. Dew 1st: Coke 5th: Dr. Pepper 2nd: Diet Coke If you have a student in more than one grade, just pick one grade to send pop with. We thank you for your support!! Carnival Committee Carnival Need: We are looking for prizes for kids between $5-$10. Please keep us in mind as you are Black Friday shopping and Christmas Shopping. ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL GALA – AUCTION WISHLIST: The elves on the auction committee have been busy preparing a wishlist for this year’s “Glory Days” Gala taking place on April 18, 2020. We hope you will consider purchasing an item on our auction wishlist this holiday season while good deals are to be had! Please visit https://signup.com/go/rQACpCg to sign up to donate an item. Many items on our auction wishlist are linked to an Amazon wishlist, which allows you to easily purchase the item through Amazon and have it shipped directly to our school! With your help and generosity, the auction is sure to be a huge success! Thank you!!! SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING VIDEO – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: We will be offering the Safe Environment Video Training following our Home and School Meeting on Thursday, December 5 in the Parish Hall. If you are in need of this requirement please plan to attend at approximately 7:00. DATES TO REMEMBER: Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Vacation Dec. 5 - Home and School Meeting (6:00) Dec. 6 - School Color Day Dec. 6 - Family Fun Night Dance from 6:00-8:00pm Dec. 11 - Dress Rehearsal (Christmas Program) at 1:30pm Dec. 12 - Christmas Program at 6:00pm Dec. 12 - Food Drive Donations Due Dec. 13 - Fifth Grade Field Trip to Food Pantry Dec. 18 - Obedient and Content Virtue Awards following Mass Dec. 18 - 4YK and Preschool Winter Program at 10:00am Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 - Christmas Vacation Jan. 2 - Classes Resume Jan. 15 - 2nd Grade First Reconciliation Jan. 16 - End of Second Quarter Jan. 17 - Teacher In-Service/ Parent-Teacher Conferences (No School) Jan. 20 - Beginning of 3rd Quarter Jan. 26 - School Carnival Jan. 28 - Home and School Meeting at 6:00pm Jan. 29 - Child Development Screening (No School for 4YK only) Jan. 26 - Feb. 1 – Catholic Schools Week Feb. 2 - Catholic Schools Week Open House 9:15 - 1:00 (Students in Grades 1-5 will sing at 10:30 Mass) May God Bless Our St. Francis Families!! Please call or e-mail if you have questions: 715-273-4391 cbuckel@stfrancisellsworth.org Chuck Buckel - Principal
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St Francis School ~ November Newsletter
Fourth Grade Class Prayer Dear Jesus, We ask that you grant us the strength and courage to do our best. Please be with us throughout our day and help us reflect and magnify the goodness and kindness that you give to us. Remind us to seek out joy in all that we do so we can make the world a better place in your name. Amen PRAYER PARTNERS: Please join us as we lift up Mrs. Matzek and our Fourth Grade students in prayer during the month of November. Ava Acker, Jens Christensen, Amelia Dopp, Lucy Feuerhelm, Shawn Huppert, Aubrey Marks, Merrick Mason, Kate Nelson, Regan Nelson, Evie Peterson. Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 During the month of December, we will focus on Advent and Christmas season November 1 - Feast of All Saints; November 2 - Feast of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day) The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect. Wisdom 3:1-9 It is a centuries-old tradition of the Catholic Church to dedicate the month of November to the memory of their departed relatives and friends. During this time set aside for remembrance, our community prays for those who have died, and we celebrate the ways in which they continue to inspire and bless our daily lives. The tradition is one which members of all faiths are welcome to share. You are invited as a member of our school community to join in this prayerful remembrance. Please write the names of your departed relatives and friends on the enclosed form and return it. These names will be placed in a basket near the altar at church. Please return the form to school, place it in the collection basket at a weekend Mass, or place it in the basket at the altar. Throughout the month of November we will remember our deceased loved ones and friends, as a community, in our Masses and prayers. FOLLOWING IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING DILIGENT: Diligent – I start fast, work hard, and finish strong. The hand of the diligent will rule. Proverbs 12:24 Ella Murphy, Walker Loberg, Emmie Pechacek, Kate Nelson, Jack McMahon, Vincent Oricchio VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING GENTLE: Gentle – I speak quietly and touch softly The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22 Atticus Francis, Lyla Soley, Anna Purhmann, Taelyn Hines, Kyle VanWatermeulen 4YK – CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER: Diligent - Trent Acker Gentle - Matthew Gaard REMINDER FOR PARENT PICK UP: Parent Pick Up begins at 3:15 p.m. You must come to the door to pick up your child for increased safety in our parking lot. TUITION ASSISTANCE: Tuition Assistance has been applied to the accounts of our families who have requested assistance. Please contact the school office by Wednesday, November 6th if you are in need of assistance for the 2019-2020 school year. SPECIAL HARVEST BREAKFAST - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31: We will have a special Harvest Breakfast for students on Thursday, October 31, complete with pumpkins carved by our fifth grade class. Please see enclosed flyer for more information. END OF FIRST QUARTER: The first quarter ends on Thursday, October 31. ALL SAINTS DAY – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1 (NO SCHOOL): There will be no school on Friday, November 1 in honor of All Saints Day. SCHOOL COLORS DAY - NOVEMBER 8 (SECOND FRIDAY) AND DECEMBER 6: Students are encouraged to dress in school colors, blue and white, November 8 and December 6. Show your school pride! THANKSGIVING VACATION - NOVEMBER 27-29: There will be no school on Wednesday, November 27 through Friday, November 29 for Thanksgiving Vacation. Classes will resume again on Monday, December 2. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM - DECEMBER 12: Grades K-5 will present our annual Christmas Program on Thursday, December 12 at 6:00 p.m. in our church. We will have a reception in the parish hall immediately following the program. Each family is asked to bring some type of food (cookies, bars, cheese & crackers, etc.) for this reception. A dress rehearsal will be held Wednesday, December 11 at 1:30 p.m. This is open to anyone who would like to attend. 4YK AND PRESCHOOL WINTER PROGRAM - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18: Our 4YK and Preschool students will present a Winter Program to their parents and guests on Wednesday, December 18. Refreshments will be served after the program. HOLIDAY FOOD AND FUNDS DRIVE: Our 5th Grade Class at St. Francis is sponsoring a Holiday Food and Funds Drive to benefit the Ellsworth Food Pantry. In October alone, our local pantry served 394 of our friends and neighbors. Please give what you can to help everyone in our community have enough to eat during this Holiday Season. Please see the enclosed flyer for all the info! ***Please encourage all your friends and family who attend the St. Francis Christmas Concert on Thursday, December 12th to bring a food item to place in the collection boxes at the church. Thanks so much for your help! Mrs. Swanson and the 5th Grade Class CHRISTMAS VACATION: Students will be dismissed at 3:25 on Friday, December 20 for Christmas vacation. Classes will resume on Thursday, January 2. ONLINE JMC SOFTWARE PROGRAM: Log in to our online JMC Software Program at https://stfrancis.onlinejmc.com and check out these great resources for parents!
Parent Portal Introduction Video Link: https://youtu.be/0anJtmzTMZ8 Your username is your last name and your password was set up or confirmed at the beginning of the school year when you completed our online registration process. If you forgot your password, you may now reset it in a few easy steps. If you have any questions, please call the school office. SHUTTERFLY FUNDRAISER: Do you purchase items from Shutterfly? By using the following URL at any time during the year to make your purchases, Shutterfly will donate 8% back to our school. Thank you in advance for your support of St. Francis School. stfrancisschoolellsworth.ShutterflyStorefront.com EASY FUNDRAISING: Have you tried Shoparoo?? It is an app where you take pictures of your receipts…any receipt. It is so simple. Just download the app and follow the prompts to set up an account connected with St. Francis. The following can be brought to school all year. General Mills Box Tops for Education (information about their new App coming soon) loaves4learning – Village Hearth/Country Hearth Our Family UPC Codes We no longer collect computer ink cartridges or any milk caps. Unfortunately the reimbursement was not profitable for us on these items as we didn’t receive a large enough quantity to justify shipping costs. WEATHER RELATED SCHOOL CLOSINGS: You will be notified by the St. Francis JMC system about school closings. Also, the Ellsworth district will continue to publicize any school closing or delayed starts on these radio/television stations, as well as the district website www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us KCUE 1250 AM - Red Wing, KSTP Channel 5 - Mpls./St. Paul WCCO Channel 4 - Mpls/St. Paul KARE Channel 11 - Mpls./St. Paul KMSP Channel 9 - Mpls./St. Paul St. Francis School may not be listed separately, but is included when the listing indicates Ellsworth Community School District. In the event of a two hour delay, St. Francis 4YK students will not have classes. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS MEAT RAFFLE - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10: There will be a meat raffle for St. Francis held on Sunday, November 10th at 4:30 at Broz Bar in Ellsworth. All proceeds will be going to the school. All are welcome! Fun afternoon! Please spread the word! FAMILY FUN NIGHT DANCE - FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6: We will be hosting a Friday Family Fun Night Glow in the Dark Dance on Friday, December 6th from 6-8 at the parish hall. $25 per family which includes a meal of hotdog, chips, dessert and drink, music, dance, prizes and candy to purchase for $1 at our "candy shop." This dance is in honor of Marlee May Erlandson and all proceeds will go towards her scholarship and new technology upgrades for the school. Come and have a blast! Invite your friends and family, neighbors and grandkids. All children must be accompanied by an adult. There is a flyer included in today's envelope. We will need a few people to help that night. Please contact Kate at 715-495-2600 if interested. FUN IN THE SUN CARNIVAL UPDATE: The Grand Raffle and Traditional Raffle tickets will be getting sent to family's the week of November 4th. Please keep an eye out in your child's daily folder that comes home with them for these tickets. This is an envelope that has a value of $225 to it! Please keep these in a safe place! Every family is asked to sell at least 2 Grand and 5 packets of Traditional. We appreciate everyone's support in this fundraiser for the school!! ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL GALA - AUCTION WISHLIST: Did you save-the-date for April 18, 2020? You aren’t going to want to miss this year’s reunion themed Gala “Glory Days: St. Francis School Through The Decades!” We are already preparing for the auction and hope you/your business will keep it in mind while you are scoring deals while shopping over the holiday season. Items that are popular for the auction include tech gadgets, hunting and fishing gear, sporting goods, kitchen appliances, yeti coolers, luggage, and adult beverages. These items can be dropped off at the school office anytime between now and April 3. Thank you for your support and generosity! SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING VIDEO – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5: We will be offering the Safe Environment Video Training following our Home and School Meeting on Thursday, December 5 in the Parish Hall. If you are in need of this requirement please plan to attend at approximately 7:00. CHURCH/COMMUNITY NEWS ST. FRANCIS “TRUNK OR TREAT”: Please join us for “Trunk or Treat” on Thursday, October 31st from 5-8 pm in St. Francis School Parking Lot. Please bring your kids to trick or treat while youth and adults dress up like the Saints and hand out treats!!! If any high school youth/adults would like to dress up - please contact Cheryl. All are welcome!!! Questions: contact Cheryl Kaufer at 651-308-8576 or goshawk@bevcomm.net ELLSWORTH YOUTH BASKETBALL: Ellsworth Youth Basketball families please note, the following dates and times for Saturday Basketball. ALL SESSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE AT EES. Dates: November 2, 16, 23,30 and December 7,14 Boys: Grades 4,5 & 6 8:00-9:00am/Grades 2 & 3 9:00-10:00am Girls: Grades 2 & 3 10:00-11:00am/Grades 4,5 & 6 11:00-12:00 DATES TO REMEMBER: Oct. 30 - Gentle and Diligent Virtue Awards following Mass Oct. 31 - Harvest Breakfast Oct. 31 - End of 1st Quarter Oct. 31 - Trunk or Treat (5:00-8:00) Nov. 1 - All Saints Day (No School) Nov. 4 - Beginning of 2nd Quarter Nov. 5 - Vision Screening (4YK - 2nd Grade) Nov. 8 - School Color Day Nov. 10 - Meat Raffle Fundraiser Nov. 20 - Attentive Virtue Awards following Mass Nov. 20 - 2nd Parent Meeting for First Reconciliation (5:45 - 7:00) Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Vacation Dec. 5 - Home and School Meeting (6:00) Dec. 6 - School Color Day Dec. 6 - Family Fun Night Dance Dec. 11 - Dress Rehearsal (Christmas Program) at 1:30pm Dec. 12 - Christmas Program at 6:00pm Dec. 12 - Food Drive Donations Due Dec. 18 - Obedient and Content Virtue Awards following Mass Dec. 18 - 4YK and Preschool Winter Program at 10:00am Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 - Christmas Vacation Jan. 2 - Classes Resume May God Bless Our St. Francis Families!! Please call or e-mail if you have questions: 715-273-4391 cbuckel@stfrancisellsworth.org Chuck Buckel - Principal St Francis School ~ October Newsletter 5th Grade Class Prayer Dear Lord, Thank you for our teachers, our friends and the education we receive. Thank you for the opportunity to praise Jesus at our school and for Father Eric as he helps us praise Jesus at church. Thank you for allowing our school to continue to grow. Amen. PRAYER PARTNERS: Please join us as we lift up Mrs. Swanson and our Fifth Grade students in prayer during the month of October. Cayman Anderson, Evan Beissel, Bethany Kaufer, Sienna Lansing, Reese Matzek, Darien McGrath, Jack McMahon, Rowan Nelson, Max Olson, Shelby Olson, Atlanta O’Neil, Vincent Oricchio, Rosemary Shafer, Kyle VanWatermeulen, and Gavin Wittenberg. Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Philippians 4:6 During the month of November, we will be lifting up Mrs. Matzek and our Fourth Grade students in prayer. WHAT'S NEW: I have some very exciting news to share about things that are happening around the school. First, we have started a new 3 year old Pre-school which opened this fall under the direction of Angie McHardy and Amy Matzek. Presently the pre-school is at capacity with 10 students. Second, to compliment the new program we started a Wrap Around Care Service. The Wrap Around Program offers care for our 3 and 4 year old students. The program runs from 11:00 - 3:15. To accommodate the new programs we have revamped the library and technology lab and now offer a Media Center. All of these changes will help support the educational goals of St. Francis School. Last, starting this fall I will operate on a 60% contract and am scheduled to be in the office 3 days per week. As always, if you need to contact me please do not hesitate to call the office (715) 273-4391. ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL VIRTUES PROGRAM: Virtue Program: St. Francis Catholic Elementary School has had a strong tradition of promoting the virtues associated with devoted religious life. As a staff, we will continue the Virtues Program, “Following in Jesus’ Footsteps,” to instill in our students the desire to practice these religious virtues both at home and at school. Although there will not be a structured curriculum taught on a regular basis, the core of the program will be the recognition of “teachable moments” that arise each day. Each month at St. Francis, we will focus on one or two different, specific virtues school wide. Students from each class will be recognized and celebrated at morning Mass the last Wednesday of each month and receive a certificate. When a student is found using behavior exemplifying any virtue, they will be recognized with footprints on the wall in the parish hall. These footprints will recognize virtuous behavior pertaining to any one of the religious virtues at any time the behavior is observed and it will not necessarily be the virtue or virtues of focus for that month. 4YK students will be “Caught Showing Character” and will be recognized with butterflies on the wall and certificates that will be presented in their classroom and sent home. If your K-5 student will be receiving a certificate at Mass, parents will be notified on Monday of that week in order for you to attend Mass and celebrate with your child if you so choose. Also, each month the Virtue Award recipients will get to have lunch with Mr. Buckel! REMINDER: Any time your child’s after school destination is someplace other than their usual destination, he/she needs a dated, written note signed by parent/guardian or you can send an email to the school indicating the change. GRADES 3YK, 4YK & K - FIELD TRIP TO THE MAPLE LEAF ORCHARD – WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2: Preschool, 4YK and Kindergarten will be taking a field trip to Maple Leaf Apple Orchard in Spring Valley, WI. on Wednesday, October 2. The permission slips were sent out last Monday with students in 3YK, 4YK and K. CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS/PET BLESSING/SCHOOL COLORS DAY - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4: The feast day of our school and parish patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, is Friday, October 4. This day is always one of great celebration for our entire parish! We will attend the 8:30 a.m. Mass on Friday (we will not have school Mass on Wednesday) and students are encouraged to show their school spirit by dressing in school colors: blue and white. We do not permit face paint or hair color on any school color days. We will have a special blessing of animals, following the Mass, on the grassy area east of our church. This will include our 4YK and Preschool Students. You are welcome to bring an animal to be blessed after Mass and to be taken home again immediately following the Pet Blessing. Please, no pets or animals inside the school or church. FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE THEIR BIBLES – FRIDAY OCTOBER 4. The Knights of Columbus will be presenting our fourth grade class with their Bibles on Friday, October 4 during Mass. SCREENING DAY - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9: Our 4YK students will not have class on Wednesday, October 9 due to District Screening that day. 4YK families please see enclosed letter about this day. GRADE 4 & 5 - FIELD TRIP TO THE MN ZOO – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11: Our Fourth and Fifth grade students will take a field trip to the MN Zoo on Friday, October 11. The permission slips were sent home with students last Monday for our fourth and fifth grade families. Please complete and return with payment by Wednesday, October 2. Chaperones are asked to check in at the office by 8:50. PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17 (NO SCHOOL): Parent-teacher conferences are required first quarter for all students grades 4YK through grade 5. This year conferences are scheduled for Thursday, October 17. You will be scheduled for a 15 minute conference with your child’s teacher between the hours of 12:00pm and 7:00pm Please use the following link to sign up for conferences: Conference Sign Up Link: https://signup.com/go/nOHzxHo 1st PARENT MEETING FOR FIRST RECONCILIATION - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23: Please plan to attend this parent meeting from 5:45pm - 7:00pm if you have a second grader who will receive the sacrament this year. GR. 5 BAKE SALE – THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24: Our fifth grade class will hold a bake sale Thursday, October 24. Items will be sold for 50 cents each. The proceeds of this sale will be used toward the cost of the fifth grade class trip to Valley Fair. TEACHER IN-SERVICE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 (NO SCHOOL): Students do not have classes on Friday, October 25. This is a district-wide in-service day. DATE CHANGE: PICTURE RETAKES – MONDAY, OCTOBER 28: Our picture retake day has been rescheduled for Monday, October 28. Students who did not have their picture taken during our Back-to-School Night will need to have theirs taken on October 28 so that we have a photo for the student permanent records and the yearbook. Let me know if you need another copy of the picture form which illustrated your background and pose choices. This was originally mailed to you in August. If you wish to have your child’s photo retaken, please return the complete original package to the office by Wednesday, October 2. SPECIAL HARVEST BREAKFAST - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31: We will have a special Harvest Breakfast for students on Thursday, October 31, complete with pumpkins carved by our fifth grade class. Watch for more information soon. END OF FIRST QUARTER: The first quarter ends on Thursday, October 31. ALL SAINTS DAY – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1 (NO SCHOOL): There will be no school on Friday, November 1 in honor of All Saints Day. 2019-2020 STUDENT DIRECTORY: This year’s directory of our school families is included in today’s packet. If I’ve made an error for your family, please let me know. Also, if your address, telephone, or e-mail changes during the year, please send a note of the change to my office and update your JMC account information. Thanks for your help! RENAISSANCE PROGRAM: St. Francis uses the Renaissance Star Reading and Star Math program. Teachers in grades 1-5 will be allowed to use the assessment periodically throughout the school year to monitor growth of students. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. EASY FUNDRAISING: Have you tried Shoparoo?? It is an app where you take pictures of your receipts…any receipt. It is so simple. Just download the app and follow the prompts to set up an account connected with St. Francis. The following can be brought to school all year. General Mills Box Tops for Education (information about their new App coming soon) loaves4learning – Village Hearth/Country Hearth Our Family UPC Codes We no longer collect computer ink cartridges or any milk caps. Unfortunately the reimbursement was not profitable for us on these items as we didn’t receive a large enough quantity to justify shipping costs. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS Thank you to all who attended the Home and School meeting on Sept 12! Our 4YK class won the prize for the most parents who attended! Awesome job! It sounds like the preschool, school year and Eagles Nest are off to a great start! During our meeting there was some concern with having all major fundraisers in the second half of the year with no cash flow coming in the first half. There was interest in creating opportunities this fall to raise funds for St. Francis without necessarily having a fundraiser. The first opportunity discussed was to hold a fall family dance honoring Marlee Erlandson who passed away at the age of 2 from Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare tumor located near her eye. Marlee was a tough little fighter and a light to everyone she came into contact with. Her parents wish is to keep Marlee’s life legacy living on forever! Marlee’s family members are dedicated St. Francis parishioners and strong advocates for St. Francis School where Marlee would have attended. Each year Marlee’s mom Josie delivers all the students and staff at St. Francis cupcakes in memory of her birthday which is Oct 8th. This could be a great way for all of our families to get together and pay tribute to her life! The other opportunity mentioned was to hold a meat raffle. This could be held at a local establishment with minimal prep work, a fun night out for parents and a way to contribute to the school’s cash flow. Included in today’s newsletter is a ballot regarding these opportunities. Please fill out and return by Friday Oct 4th! Thank you! There is now a bulletin board located at the back of church providing school information to all the parishioners. If anyone has anything they would like added or posted to that please let me know. It’s a great way for parishioners to keep up with what’s happening at the school. Lastly, there was talk about reserving a booth at the Pierce County Fair next summer along with the other surrounding Catholic schools. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas about that please let me know. Kate Acker 715-495-2600 or ktommygirl1@yahoo.com HOME AND SCHOOL DUES REMINDER: As with being a member of an organization, there are dues. As a member of the Home and School Association, each family is asked to pay $10.00. This money is divided among the teachers to be used to purchase items such as stickers, incentives, student prizes, materials for students to make their parents’ Christmas gifts, Mother’s Day gifts, etc. throughout the year for their students. CARNIVAL NEWS: Hello Families! We are in need of a 2 St. Francis Parents that would be willing to chair the games committee and another to do the scheduling of volunteers. This would be for next school year! You could shadow this year if you'd like. If you're interested please reach out to Adriana, Carnival Chair adrianaholst@yahoo.com or 262-346-5784 Just a reminder to look for the Carnival tickets that will be coming home at the end of October/early November. With the white envelope and the newsletter only going out once a month I wanted to give you a heads up now. The tickets may come home in your child's daily folder so be sure you are checking their folders. Thanks to every family’s hard work in making sure these tickets get sold! We do ask every family to sell at least 2 Grand Raffle tickets and there will be extra tickets in the office if you need them. There will be a prize again this year for top selling Grand Raffle and a random drawing for the Traditional Raffle sellers too!! ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL GALA - PICTURES NEEDED Plans for "Glory Days: St. Francis School Through The Decades" are underway! Please save-the-date - April 18, 2020 for this special celebration of our school from the opening of its doors in 1948 until now. Spread the word to alumni, staff and families past and present to join us in reunion! The graduating class with the most guests in attendance will win a prize!! In addition, the committee needs your help in gathering pictures to showcase our school over the decades, especially prior to 1980. Please email pictures to galastfrancisellsworth@gmail.com. Thank you! CHURCH/COMMUNITY NEWS ST. FRANCIS “TRUNK OR TREAT”: Please join us for “Trunk or Treat” on Thursday, October 31st from 5-8 pm in St. Francis School Parking Lot. Please bring your kids to trick or treat while youth and adults dress up like the Saints and hand out treats!!! If any high school youth/adults would like to dress up - please contact Cheryl. All are welcome!!! Questions: contact Cheryl Kaufer at 651-308-8576 or goshawk@bevcomm.net 4-H AWARDS – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8: Ann Webb from the Pierce County 4-H office will be at St. Francis School on Tuesday, October 8 to distribute and cash checks for premiums that 4-H members earned at the Pierce County Fair. DATES TO REMEMBER: Oct. 2 - Field Trip to Apple Orchard (Grades Preschool, 4YK & K) Oct. 4 - Feast of St. Francis ~ Mass and Pet Blessing/School Color Day Oct. 4 - 4th Grade Students receive their Bibles Oct. 8 - 4-H Fair Premium Distribution Oct. 9 - Screening Day (No 4YK) Oct. 11 - Fourth and Fifth Grade Field Trip to the MN Zoo Oct. 17 - Parent-Teacher Conferences from 12:00-7:00 (No School) Oct. 23 - 1st Parent Meeting for First Reconciliation from 5:45 - 7:00 (Grade 2) Oct. 24 - 5th Grade Bake Sale Oct. 25 - Teacher In-Service ( No School) Oct. 28 - Picture Retake Day (Please note date change) Oct. 30 - Gentle and Diligent Virtue Awards following Mass Oct. 31 - Harvest Breakfast Oct. 31 - End of 1st Quarter Oct. 31 - Trunk or Treat (5:00-8:00) Nov. 1 - All Saints Day (No School) Nov. 4 - Beginning of 2nd Quarter Nov. 5 - Vision Screening (4YK - 2nd Grade) Nov. 20 - Attentive Virtue Awards following Mass Nov. 20 - 2nd Parent Meeting for First Reconciliation (5:45 - 7:00) Nov. 27-29 - Thanksgiving Vacation May God Bless Our St. Francis Families!! Please call or e-mail if you have questions: 715-273-4391 cbuckel@stfrancisellsworth.org Chuck Buckel - Principal |
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