A Message from the Principal
Happy March! As spring brings hope, promise, and renewal, so does the season of Lent. During this season of Lent, we will be asking students and staff to slow down and reflect upon our values, faith, and sins for which we seek forgiveness and renewal. Students will participate in a number of traditions and meaning activities that will lead them closer to God during this Lenten season. We appreciate every opportunity that families take to expand our children’s experiences and truths. We have spring break coming up and a chance to rest and rejuvenate. I wish everyone a blessed and reflective Lenten season. ~Dr. Clausell First Grade Class Prayer March Petitions ~ Please answer: LORD PLEASE HEAR OUR PRAYER
PRAYER PARTNERS: Please join us as we lift up Miss Miller and our First Grade students in prayer during the month of March. Claire, Nathaniel, Adelyn, Hailee, and Deni. 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 April, we will be lifting up Mrs. Wescott and our Kindergarten students in prayer. *Celebration of Virtue Awards: 8:30 Mass, Thursday, February 25th VIRTUE AWARDS FOR KINDNESS: Kindness – You treat others with respect just as you would want to be treated. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 Lyla, Grace, Eian VIRTUE AWARDS FOR PATIENCE: Patience – You wait and have a good attitude while waiting. Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. Proverbs 14:29. Macy, Claire, Ellyse, Markus, Charlie 4YK – CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER: Kindness - Mason Patience - Jack CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK THANK YOU: Thanks to our families who helped their children get into the spirit of Catholic Schools Week! We had wonderful participation in the dress themes and activities all throughout the week. Gathering in the presence of God and the St. Francis Catholic community was a great experience! REGISTRATION FORMS FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR: We begin taking registrations for next school year today, and will continue through Wednesday, March 3. Families who wish for their child(ren) to attend St. Francis for the 2021 - 2022 school year will need to fill out a registration form for each child and will need to complete one tuition payment plan for the family. These forms are included in today’s envelope for those families who will have children in grades K-5 next school year. Please complete and return them as soon as possible, but no later than Wednesday, March 3. A 4YK registration packet will be mailed to incoming families. ST. FRANCIS PRESCHOOL: Registration is now open for next year’s 3-year old class! More details can be found on our website! If you’d like more information please contact our school office at 715-273-4391. FIRST RECONCILIATION: Congratulations to Samantha Augustine, Adeline Dopp, Ryland Hines, Cooper Moldenhauer, Ella Murphy, Ellyse Nelson, Trystan O’Neil, Kate Rohl, and Lyla Soley, our second grade students, who received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time on Thursday, January 28. SERVICE PROJECTS FOR LENT: Serving and giving thanks to those in our community and school is the focus of our Lenten Service Projects this year. Our projects will include making thank you cards for our bus drivers and our upcoming Gala, making Easter cards/projects for the Care Center and helping out around our school. GR. 5 - MUSIC CLASS – FOLKTALE – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25: As part of our music curriculum, our fifth grade students study a folktale, and incorporate a variety of musical instruments into the telling of the tale. Fifth grade parents are invited to attend one of the presentations of the folk tale in the lunchroom (Parish Hall) on: Thursday, February 25 at 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 1:45 p.m. NO 4YK CLASSES ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26: Our 4YK students will not have class on Friday, February 26 as they will be following the district schedule for this day. DR. SEUSS DAY - TUESDAY, MARCH 2: We will celebrate Dr. Theodore Seuss’ Birthday on Tuesday, March 2. Please wear comfy clothes or pajamas. SCHOLASTIC VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 4: St. Francis will be continuing the Book Fair Tradition. However, this year the fair will be held virtually. The fair runs February 19 - March 4. Check out the fair at: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=stfranciselementaryschool3. Also see the attachment for additional information. Paper flyers will be sent home with each child. During technology class, the students will visit the Virtual Book Fair. Families are highly encouraged to visit the Virtual Book Fair as well. If you have questions, please let Mrs. Karlstad know. SCHOOL COLOR DAYS - FRIDAY, MARCH 5: Students are encouraged to dress in school colors, blue and white, on Friday, March 5. Show your school pride! EAGLES NEST AFTER SCHOOL CARE - CLOSED FRIDAY, MARCH 5: Eagles Nest After School Care will be closed on Friday, March 5. Eagles Nest Before School Care will be provided. SPRING BREAK – MARCH 8-12: Students will not have classes during the week of March 8-12 due to Spring Break. SCREENING DAY - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17: Our 4YK students will not have class on Wednesday, March 17 due to District Screening that day. FIRST COMMUNION PARENT MEETING - THURSDAY, MARCH 18 (PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE): First Communion Parent Meeting will be Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 6:00 pm in the St. Francis Church. This meeting is for parents only, whose children will be making their First Communion on April 11, 2021. GR. 5 PARENT & STUDENT MTG - “GROWING IN LOVE” Wonder how you’ll talk with your child about his/her body changes as he/she approaches puberty? Alice Heinzen and Jeff Arrowood, of our diocesan Office of Family Life, have a presentation, entitled “Growing in Love”, for fifth grade parents and their child that conveys the information children need to know, integrated with appropriate humor and a deep respect for God’s gift of sexuality. More details to come in a separate communication once details are confirmed. DIOCESAN IN SERVICE - FRIDAY, MARCH 26: No school for students. Staff will be involved in virtual activities that deepen our faith and service in the Catholic school environment. END OF THIRD QUARTER – FRIDAY, MARCH 26: Our third quarter ends Friday, March 26. TEACHER IN-SERVICE – MONDAY, MARCH 29 (NO SCHOOL): Students do not have classes on Monday, March 29. This is a district-wide in-service day. SPRING PICTURES – THURSDAY, APRIL 8: Students will have an opportunity to have a spring photo taken on Thursday, April 8. More information coming soon. 2020-2021 YEARBOOK ORDERS: Yearbook Online Ordering is open! Visits https://ybpay.lifetouch.com to order. Our ID code is: 1934621. Last year there was a composite error that gave either a coupon or a yearbook to fix that error due to COVID. We are back to regular ordering. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS It's that time of year we start the nomination process for the Home and School Association's new positions. Please see the enclosed paperwork and send in your nominations by Thursday, March 18th. The next Home and School meeting will be on Wednesday, April 14th at 7:00 p.m. Please join us as we social distance IN PERSON in the parish hall. Please note there will be no daycare or meal available. I am excited to get together in a responsible way to have our last meeting! Hope to see you there! HAVE A SPORTING GOOD TIME CARNIVAL: Thank you to all the family members, students, teachers and staff that put in their time to make this Carnival successful! We could not pull this off without everyone's involvement. Please be sure to see the list of donors listed in the newsletter and thank these sponsors when you shop locally! We do not have any totals yet but we'll get them out to everybody as soon as we have them. THANK YOU to everyone for helping and making this Carnival successful!! GRAND RAFFLE 1st: $3000 Cash - Lincoln Diess 2nd: $1000 Cash - Laurette Hove 3rd: DJI Drone Mini 2 - Chuck Smith 4th: Milwaukee Trimmer with Extra Battery - John Brickner 5th: Bose Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Mike Thom 6th: Yeti Cooler - Jason Marks 7th - 10th: $100 Cash - Randy Brickner, Dustin Anderson, Dominic Harris, Nicole Lodahl TRADITIONAL RAFFLE 1st: $500 Cash - Brian Yanish 2nd: Dyson Cordless Vacuum - Lisa Gannon 3rd: Samsung Tablet - Grace Turvaville 4th: Outdoor Projector with Screen - Tony Birkel 5th: $100 Cash - Mark Hotter BIKE RAFFLE WINNERS Boys Bike: Everett Anderson Girls Bike: Jaimee Sorenson ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL VIRTUAL GALA – APRIL 13-17 Did you mark your calendars to celebrate the Gala virtually from April 13-17, 2021?! You aren’t going to want to miss this year’s “Readin’, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithemetic” Gala taking place on our website at stfrancisellsworth.org/gala and Facebook page @stfrancisellsworth. On April 17, we will live stream our Grand Finale on our Facebook page at 7 pm. We encourage you to gather with family and friends that evening to enjoy a meal package catered by The Ridgetop. Meal packages will be available to purchase on our website soon. Thank you to those families that already signed up to donate an auction item, become a sponsor, make a monetary donation or volunteer your time! If you haven’t yet turned in your “Family Donation Form” please be sure to do so ASAP. For those interested in donating an auction item, there is an auction wish list posted on our website at stfrancisellsworth.org/gala. Many items on the auction wish list are linked to an Amazon wish list, which allows you to easily purchase the item through Amazon and have it shipped directly to our school. Sponsorships or monetary donations can also be made on our website or sent to the school. Lastly, all school families can bring their wine donations for the wine pull to the School Office by April 1. Thank you for supporting this vital fundraiser for our school! DATES TO REMEMBER: Feb 19 - Mar. 4 - Scholastic Virtual Book Fair Feb. 25 - Patience and Kindness Virtue Awards following Mass Feb. 26 - No School for 4YK ONLY Mar. 2 - Celebrate Dr. Seuss Mar. 5 - School Color Day Mar. 8-12 - Spring Break Mar. 17 - Screening Day - No School for 4YK ONLY Mar. 18 - First Communion Parent Meeting Mar. 18 - Home and School Nomination Forms Due Mar. 25 - Forgiveness Virtue Awards following Mass Mar. 26 - End of 3rd Quarter Mar. 26 - Diocesan Teacher In-Service (No School) Mar. 29 - Teacher In-Service (No School) Mar. 30 - Beginning of 4th Quarter Apr. 2 - No School Good Friday Apr 5 - No School (1st snow make up day) TBD Apr. 8 - Spring Picture Day Apr 11 - First Communion at 12:30pm Apr. 14 - Home & School Meeting at 7:00pm Apr. 13 - 17 - St. Francis School Virtual Gala May God Bless Our St. Francis Catholic School Families!
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St. Francis School ~ February Newsletter A Message from the Principal Happy February! This month brings so much hope and joy to our lives as we begin to prepare for the season of Lent. With Ash Wednesday being on the 17th, we have some time to prepare our hearts, our minds, and our spirits to receive the wonderful gift of renewal. Undoubtedly, this year has been a tough year for all of us. So many changes, unexpected trials and tribulations, and even moments of uncertainty in our faith. Nevertheless, I know that our Lord is still on the throne and will lead us through all doubt and sadness. I have witnessed God’s love, smiling down on our children, staff, and community as they have come to school and Mass with positive attitudes and hopeful intentions. We have all learned to adapt and to survive. Now, I am asking that we find ways to live out our traditions as we once did. Our feelings of joy, gratitude, and love for the life that Christ has given us is still there, even if things seemingly look different. Our hearts have not changed and for that we are blessed. My first week on the job as principal of St. Francis School has been wonderful; I am truly grateful! Thank you all for the warm welcome. I look forward to celebrating our Catholic Faith with the students and community during Catholic Schools Week. I am here to serve. Please let me know how I can support our St. Francis Community. In Christ, Dr. Clausell Second Grade Class Prayer Thank you God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit for all of the people you have given to us: Our grandparents, parents, families, friends, and teachers. We are also thankful for our pets, and the food and shelter that we have. We would like to pray for the people that have COVID, and for the people in Heaven. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. PRAYER PARTNERS: Please join us as we lift up Mrs. Koch and our Second Grade students in prayer during the month of February. Samantha Augustine, Adeline Dopp, Ryland Hines, Theodore LaFave, Cooper Moldenhauer, Ella Murphy, Ellyse Nelson, Trystan O’Neil, Walter Rewolinski, Kate Rohl, and Lyla Soley 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 March, we will be lifting up Miss Miller and our First Grade students in prayer. FOLLOWING IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING HELPFUL: Helpful – You find things that need to be done and do them. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 Trent Acker, Adelyn Loberg, Trystan O'Neil, June Feuerhelm, Kate Nelson VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING HONEST: Honest – You tell the truth. Honest people will lead a full, happy life. Proverbs 28:20 Matthew Gaard, Kate Rohl, Holt Jacobson, Carter Moldenhauer, Landyn Gaard 4YK – CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER: Honest - Alton Matzek REGISTRATION UPDATE FOR NEXT YEAR: Registration forms for our present students will be sent home soon. ST. FRANCIS PRESCHOOL: St. Francis School will be offering three 3-year-old preschool class options next year; 3 day class M/W/F, 2 day class T/Th or a 5 day class M-F. Registration will open up Monday February 1st. More details can be found on our website! If you’d like more information please contact our school office at 715-273-4391. REMINDER ABOUT ABSENCES, APPOINTMENTS, LATE ARRIVALS: If your child will be absent due to illness or arriving late due to an early appointment, etc., please call the school office by 8:30 am. on the morning of the absence/late arrival. Because the answering machine is on 24 hours a day you will be able to call any time before 8:30 am. In addition, you are also required to send a dated and written note explaining the reason for the absence with your child on the day they return. According to diocesan directives, we must have a written excuse, indicating the date, reason for absence, and parent signature from the parent/guardian kept on file for each absence/late arrival or tardy. An email will also suffice. TUITION PAYMENTS DUE: Tuition statements are being sent home today for families who selected Plan 2, reminding you that payments were due January 15. If you haven’t sent your January payment, please do so by Wednesday, January 27. Thanks for your prompt attention to this financial responsibility. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Many thanks to Mrs. Penton and our students who performed a beautiful Christmas program called The Last Noel. We have DVD’s available to order: Christmas Program DVD copies are $15 each and Blu-ray copies will be $20 each. Christmas + Spring Programs DVD $25 and both on Blu-ray will be $35 Order forms were included in your monthly envelope in December. Please return by Wednesday, January 27th. NO 4YK CLASSES ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 29 or FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26: Our 4YK students will not have class on Friday, January 29 or Friday, February 26 as they will be following the district schedule for those days. SCHOOL COLOR DAYS - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 and MARCH 5: Students are encouraged to dress in school colors, blue and white, on Friday, February 5 and Friday, March 5. Show your school pride! CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK - JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6: We will join in the National observance of Catholic Schools Week. While we usually kick off this week with a special Mass and Open House, those events aren’t in the cards during this year of Covid 19. We will have a wonderful, Covidly responsible, Catholic Schools’ Week celebration at school with many fun activities February 1 - 5. A complete schedule of activities and dress themes for Catholic Schools Week is included in your monthly envelope today. NO SCHOOL - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15: Students will not have class on Monday, February 15. This is a district-wide in-service day. SCHOLASTIC VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 4: St. Francis will be continuing the Book Fair Tradition. However, this year the fair will be held virtually. The fair runs February 19 - March 4. More information will be coming Mid-February. Thank you so much for helping us bring books to our library and classrooms as well as your home. D.A.R.E. STARTING FEBRUARY 18: Police Officer Chad Koranda, Pierce County D.A.R.E. School Resource Officer, will begin teaching the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) curriculum at St. Francis on February 18. The primary goal of D.A.R.E. is to teach effective peer resistance and refusal skills, so that adolescents can say “no” to drugs and to their friends who may want them to use drugs. The secondary goals of the program are to build students’ social skills and enhance their self-esteem, as these are believed to be linked to adolescent drug use. The curriculum is concentrated in the fifth grade with a 45 minute class once a week for 10 weeks. Grades K-4 will meet with Officer Chad as time permits. DR. SEUSS DAY – TUESDAY, MARCH 2: We will celebrate Dr. Theodore Seuss’ Birthday on Tuesday, March 2. Please wear comfy clothes or pajamas. SPRING BREAK – MARCH 8-12: Students will not have classes during the week of March 8-12 due to Spring Break. FIRST COMMUNION PARENT MEETING - MARCH 3: First Communion Parent Meeting will be Wednesday, March 3, 2021 from 5:45 to 6:45 pm in the St. Francis Church. This meeting is for parents only, whose children will be making their First Communion on April 11, 2021. SPRING BREAK – MARCH 8-12: Students will not have classes during the week of March 8-12 due to Spring Break. 2020-2021 YEARBOOK ORDERS: Yearbook Online Ordering is open! Visits https://ybpay.lifetouch.com to order. Our ID code is: 1934620. Last year there was a composite error that gave either a coupon or a yearbook to fix that error due to COVID. We are back to regular ordering. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS HOME & SCHOOL MEETING - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4: Please join us for the Home and School Meeting on Thursday, February 4th at 7:00pm on Google Meet. Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/ebr-saqf-sfx HAVE A SPORTING GOOD TIME CARNIVAL UPDATE: Please see the carnival informational sheets that are included in your monthly envelope today. You will find the Carnival Schedule of Events and a list of dates that local restaurants will be supporting our fundraiser by donating a part of their proceeds to St. Francis. Please send in to the office any pop, cereal or store bought desserts for the cake walk the kids will be doing in school the week of the carnival. Remember to register for the Medallion Hunt at https://one.bidpal.net/stfranciscarnival2021 ST. FRANCIS SCHOOL GALA – APRIL 13-17: You are invited to join us virtually for St. Francis School’s 15th annual Gala - “Readin’, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithemetic!” From April 13-17, we will showcase guest speakers, student videos, and school pictures on our website at stfrancisellsworth.org/gala and Facebook page @stfrancisellsworth. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to bid on the silent auction, ‘live’ auction, and classroom projects or make a donation directly to the fund-a-need and pledge drive on our website. On April 17, we encourage you to gather in small groups to enjoy a meal package catered by The Ridgetop and watch our Grand Finale at 7pm on our Facebook page. Enclosed in your white envelope today, please find a parent letter that outlines the ways that you can help make the Gala a success! We are asking each school family to donate at least one bottle of wine for a wine pull. In addition, we are asking each school family to volunteer their time, become a sponsor, make a monetary donation, or donate an item for the auctions. Please return the enclosed “Family Donation Form” in your child’s white envelope. Thank you for helping with our school’s largest fundraiser! CHURCH/COMMUNITY NEWS RECONCILIATION: First Reconciliation has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 6:00pm. DATES TO REMEMBER: Jan. 27 - DVD Orders Due Jan. 28 - Virtue Awards for being Honest and Helpful - Location TBD Jan. 29 - 4YK ONLY No School Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 - Catholic Schools Week and St Francis School Carnival activities Feb 4 - Home and School Meeting at 7:00pm Feb. 5 - School Color Day Feb. 15 - No School - Teacher In-Service Feb. 19 - Mar. 4 – Scholastic Book Fair Feb. 17 - Ash Wednesday Feb. 26 - 4YK ONLY No School Mar. 2 - Celebrate Dr. Seuss Mar. 3 - First Communion Parent Meeting Mar. 5 - School Color Day Mar. 8-12 - Spring Break Third Grade Class Prayer
Dear God, Please wrap your arms around the sick and the poor, especially those in our Parish. We ask that you put an end to this virus and that life can go back to normal. Thank you for our food, family, friends and St. Francis School. We praise you God, for your goodness. Amen PRAYER PARTNERS: Please join us as we lift up Mrs.Kulow and our third Grade students in prayer during the month of January. Levi Acker, June Feuerhelm, Holt Jacobson, Ben Johnson, Walker Loberg, Markus Lorentz, Anna Puhrmann, Aaron Riester, Lane Rohl, and Grace Turvaville. 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 February, we will be lifting up Mrs. Koch and our Second Grade students in prayer. FOLLOWING IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING CONTENT: Content – You are not greedy or always wanting things Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 Easton Rohl, Adeline Dopp, Aaron Riester, Taelyn Hines, Evie Peterson, Regan Nelson AWARDS FOR BEING OBEDIENT: Obedient – Doing what you are told and doing it right away If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow his commands given today, The Lord your God will set you high above the nations on Earth. Deuteronomy 28:1 Ruby Feuerhelm, Ryland Hines, Amelia Dopp 4YK – CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER: Content - Rylan Morud Obedient - Boyer Rohl Thank you to all of you who have helped us stay open and able to be together as our St. Francis School family should be. Your care, caution and compassion have kept us healthy and together. No matter what your personal opinion about Covid 19 may be, you’ve all graciously accepted the ever changing rules of health and safety and kept St. Francis students learning together. For this we will be forever grateful. Wishing all of you a safe, healthy and happy Holiday Season. May the love of our Savior shine upon you and your loved ones this Christmas. CHRISTMAS PROGRAM: Many thanks to Mrs. Penton and our students who performed a beautiful Christmas program called The Last Noel. On December 9th and 10th, the program was recorded and the link will be sent to you on December 21st for your viewing enjoyment. We will also have DVD’s available for sale: Christmas Program DVD copies are $15 each and Blu-ray copies will be $20 each. Christmas + Spring Programs DVD $25 and both on Blu-ray will be $35 Order forms are included in your monthly envelope. Please return by Wednesday, January 27th. KC CHRISTMAS POSTER WINNERS: Congratulations to these students whose entries won top prizes in the Knights of Columbus Christmas Poster Contest. The posters of the first place winners in grades 1-4 are eligible for the diocesan level of the contest, and will be sent to La Crosse. ALL SCHOOL PAJAMA DAY - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22: Our all school pajama day is tomorrow, December 22. REMINDER: NO BUSES JANUARY 8: The public school will again be giving their teachers an extra inservice day without students. St Francis IS NOT taking this day off. We will be counting this Friday, in our attendance. 4YK and Preschool WILL be in session. Eagles Nest Before School Care and Wrap Around Care WILL be available. Unfortunately, there will be NO BUSES running this day. You will need to provide transportation for your child or set up a virtual day with your child’s classroom teacher. I’m sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you. Going forward into 2021, the school district WILL transport our children (after Jan 8) even when EES is not in session. This service is ONLY provided to students who have used bus transportation on a regular basis this year. Thanks for your patience with this schedule change. 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, 2021, 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 me or call me with the contact information. Registration materials will be sent home with our current students and to potential 4YK students in January. Thank you for your help in spreading the good news about our school! REGISTRATION UPDATE FOR NEXT YEAR: Registration forms for our present students will be sent home after the parish finance committee meeting. FIFTH GRADE THANK YOU!: The 5th grade class at St. Francis School has spent the Fall learning about the challenges many people face trying to earn enough money to feed their families. After learning how many of our friends and neighbors the Ellsworth Food Pantry helps each month, the students decided to have a Holiday Food Drive to benefit this program. On December 11th, our fifth grade students, along with Mrs. Swanson and several wonderful parents and older siblings, delivered 360 pounds of food and $562.77 to the Food Pantry. We could not have done this without your generosity! You’ve made a huge difference in the lives of so many this Holiday Season! RECORDERS - GRADE 4: As part of our fourth grade music curriculum, students will study the recorder. Each fourth grade student will need to have a recorder and a “Methods” book. Additional information and an order form is included in the monthly envelope for fourth grade families. This is part of the 4th grade Music curriculum and students will be learning the fingering, but not blowing into their instruments until this kind of activity is cleared during the pandemic. The order form is included in this white envelope and should be returned no later than Wednesday, January 6. CHRISTMAS VACATION: Christmas vacation will start on Wednesday, December 23. Classes will resume on Monday, January 4. SCHOOL COLORS DAY - FRIDAY, JANUARY 8: Students are encouraged to dress in school colors, blue and white, January 8. Show your school pride! END OF SECOND QUARTER - THURSDAY, JANUARY 14: The second quarter ends on Thursday, Jan. 14. VIRTUAL PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES – FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 (NO SCHOOL): Parent-teacher conferences are not mandatory and are requested by a teacher or parent. Teacher requests will be sent out closer to the date. Information for parents that wish to request a conference will be sent out about Christmas break. Please remember that you can view your child’s grades (Grades 3-5) in our JMC program. CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK - JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 6: We will join in the National observance of Catholic Schools Week. While we usually kick off this week with a special Mass and Open House, those events aren’t in the cards during this year of Covid 19. We will have a wonderful, Covidly responsible, Catholic Schools’ Week celebration at school with many fun activities February 1 - 5. TUITION STATEMENTS: Please contact the school office if you need a copy of your tuition statement. Parents have mentioned having trouble printing statements from JMC. 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 2020. 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 2020 tax return, payments must be received by the parish no later than December 31, 2020. SCHOLASTIC VIRTUAL BOOK FAIR FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 5: Our book fair will be virtual and will be a little later this year. Please watch for more information in the February newsletter. HISTORY IS ALIVE: Once again, our 5th grade students will present their historical biography research projects during Catholic Schools Week. During these presentations our students “become” George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and many more! Because there is no Catholic Schools Week Open House, we hope to stream these presentations to their families. Through their hard work and creativity, history truly is “ALIVE”! FIRST COMMUNION PARENT MEETING - MARCH 3: First Communion Parent Meeting will be Wednesday, March 3, 2021 from 5:45 to 6:45 pm in the St. Francis Church. This meeting is for parents only, whose children will be making their First Communion on April 11, 2021. NO SCHOOL - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15: Students will not have class on Monday, February 15. This is a district-wide in-service day. HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS Thank you to all who attended our H and S Meeting through Google Meet last week! We had a fabulous turnout. The minutes are included in today's white envelope. The next Home and School Meeting will be Thursday, February 4th at 7p.m. We will evaluate the situation closer to that time to determine if we will do an in-person or virtual meeting. We would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who was able to give on Giving Tuesday! Due to all the donations and continued support we are able to purchase the three new color printers we very much needed along with a start towards new text books. We appreciate everyone's support and can't thank you enough! HOME & SCHOOL MEETING - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4: Our next Home and School meeting will be Thursday, February 4 at 7pm. All are welcome! HAVE A SPORTING GOOD TIME CARNIVAL UPDATE: Hello families! YOU SHOULD HAVE TICKETS IN YOUR HANDS!! Feels pretty good, right?? Get them into someone else's hands too! :) We are asking all St. Francis families to sell 2 Grand Raffle tickets and 5 booklets of traditional raffle tickets. The Virtual event will take place the week of February 1, 2021. There will be a schedule of events to come out in January. We will have fun things going on at the school, a community medallion hunt and a silent auction. We are also working on pairing with local restaurants so that you can purchase supper from them and they will donate a part of their proceeds to St. Francis. Classroom basket signs ups are out!! If you haven't signed up please do so to donate an item(s) on the list. You can drop these off at the school as soon as possible. We'd like to have all items by January 15th. Thanks, Carnival Committee CHURCH/COMMUNITY NEWS RECONCILIATION: This year there will not be an "in person" parent meeting for those parents with children in 2nd grade who will be receiving their First Reconciliation. As soon as plans are made for a different kind of presentation regarding this Sacrament we will let you know. First Reconciliation is scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2021. DATES TO REMEMBER: Dec. 23 - Jan. 1 - Christmas Vacation Dec. 25 - Merry Christmas! Jan. 4 - Classes Resume Jan. 4 - Home and School Meeting Jan. 6 - Recorder Order Form and Money due (Grade 4) Jan. 14 - End of Second Quarter Jan. 14 - 2nd Grade First Reconciliation Jan. 15 - Teacher In-Service/ Parent-Teacher Conferences (No School) Jan. 18 - Beginning of 3rd Quarter Jan. 27 - DVD Orders Due Jan. 31 - Feb. 6 - Catholic Schools Week and St Francis School Carnival activities Mar. 3 - First Communion Parent Meeting Please call or email if you have questions: 715-273-4391 Kathy Swanson - Lead Teacher kswanson@stfrancisellsworth.org God Bless All of you this Holiday Season! |
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