November Newsletter

Fourth Grade Class Prayer
Dear Jesus, please help people in the hospital that are suffering.  May they feel God's love & comfort, feel better and be healed.  For all the people in Ukraine that are also suffering to feel God's love and comfort.  For food and water for those who can't get it easily.  Help them find the nourishment they need.  And, for our families, especially for safe travels over the upcoming holiday seasons.  In Your name we pray, Amen.

PRAYER PARTNERS:  Please join us as we lift up Miss Hanley, Mrs. Kulow, and our Fourth Grade students in prayer during the month of November. 

Samantha Augustine, Theodore LaFave, Cooper Moldenhauer, Ella Murphy, Trystan O’Neil, Walter Rewolinski, Julia Schmidt, and Lyla Soley.

During the month of December, we will be lifting up Miss Schmitt and our Third Grade students in prayer.

FOLLOWING IN JESUS’ FOOTSTEPS
We will celebrate our virtue awards during Mass each month. 
Please help us continue to celebrate our virtue award winners at 
home and in your prayers.  

VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING DILIGENT:                                                                      
Diligent – I start fast, work hard, and finish strong.

Alex Bergman, Jack Loberg, Trent Acker, Hailee Thoner, Julia Schmidt

VIRTUE AWARDS FOR BEING GENTLE:
Gentle – I speak quietly and touch softly

Noah Behnam. Shay Behnam
 
PRESCHOOL & 4YK - CAUGHT SHOWING CHARACTER:
Diligent - Ira Brunner, Tristan Field, Ruston Huggett
Gentle - Sophia Behnam

THANK YOU!! from The Happy Earth Orchard
We just wanted to send our thanks and gratitude to all the St. Francis families who came to the orchard on October 8th for the Home & School family outing.  We always have a blast hosting the St. Francis families and this year was no different.  It was a beautiful fall day where we gathered together in community! The proceeds from the day raised $56 for the school.  Thank you again to our St. Francis community for your support.    Blessings, The Wisniowski Family (Tom, Shawn, Christopher, Kwintyn, and Gabriel)

ALL SOULS DAY - NOVEMBER 2:  You are invited to join in our Annual Prayerful Remembrance. If you wish to participate, please write the names of your departed relatives and friends on the form in your monthly envelope and return it.  These names will be placed in a basket on a table near the St. Francis statue. We will also have the Parish Book of the Dead displayed near the St. Francis statue. You can return the form to school or place it in the basket which will be set up near the St. Francis statue.  During the month of November, we will pray as a community during Mass for our loved ones who have gone before us.  We hope that you will all join us in this wonderful St. Francis tradition.

TUITION ASSISTANCE: Tuition Assistance will be applied to the accounts of our families who have requested assistance. Please contact Father Olson by Wednesday, November 2nd if you are in need of assistance for the 2022-2023 school year.

FREE LUNCH FRIDAY:  A couple of our parishioners have volunteered to pay for the school lunches on one day a month.  The students will be choosing the menu items for that day.  In October, the 5th grade students picked their favorites.  For November, our 4th graders have chosen their favorites. “Free Lunch Friday” will be November 11.  A huge Thank You to our generous volunteers that are making this possible and helping our families in a special way. 

SPECIAL HARVEST BREAKFAST AND HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28:  We will have a special Harvest Breakfast for students on Friday October 28, complete with pumpkins carved by our fifth grade class. See the flier attached to this email for more information.  Teachers will send home separate information about their classroom Halloween parties. Students will be allowed to dress for Halloween at school. Please refrain from sending your child in a witch or devil costume.  Thank you!  We will have a costume parade at 8:30am in the parking lot.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

END OF FIRST QUARTER:  The first quarter ends on Friday, October 28.     

NO SCHOOL - MONDAY, OCTOBER 31: No school for students on Monday, October 31 for Teacher In Service.

TRUNK OR TREAT - MONDAY, OCTOBER 31: Everyone is welcome to join the fun at Trunk-or-Treat on Monday, October 31st.  Please send donations of candy to the St. Francis School Office.  If you'd like to dress up and distribute candy, there is always room for more!  Contact Cheryl Kaufer if interested. ALL ARE WELCOME to attend this event. Spread the word!

REGULAR SCHOOL DAY - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1: St. Francis will have school on Tuesday, November 1.  Students will be attending Mass to observe All Saints Day. There will not be a student’s Mass on Wed. Nov. 2.

REPORT CARDS:  Report cards will be sent home on Thursday, November 3.

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN FOOD PACKING - 3RD-5TH GRADE - WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9: 
Our 3rd - 5th Grade students will be packing food at Feed My Starving Children on Wednesday, November 9.  The bus will leave St. Francis at 9:45, getting to Eagan approximately 11:00.  Then the students will have a bag lunch.  From 11:30 - 1:15 our students, staff, and chaperones will be packaging food. At 1:15pm we will return to school.  

Please remember to send a bag lunch with your child.  This field trip is free through a generous donation for the bus but if you would like to send a donation with your child to Feed My Starving Child, it would be greatly appreciated!  To learn more about FMSC, visit their website at https://www.fmsc.org.
MINNESOTA SCIENCE MUSEUM ASSEMBLIES - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18: On Friday, November 18 the MN Science Museum will be presenting an Engineering Assembly for our students in Kindergarten - 5th Grade.  We are looking forward to this wonderful experience for our students. 

THANKSGIVING VACATION - NOVEMBER 23 - 25:  There will be no school Wednesday, November 23 through Friday, November 25 for Thanksgiving Vacation.  Classes will resume again on Monday, November 28. 

REGULAR SCHOOL DAY - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8:  St Francis will have school on Thursday, December 8.  Students will be attending Mass to observe the Holy Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. There will not be a student’s Mass on Wednesday, December 7.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15:  Grades K-5 will present our annual Christmas Program on Thursday, December 15 at 6:00 p.m. in the 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 for K-5 will be held Wednesday, December 14 at 1:00pm.  This is open to anyone who would like to attend.

PRESCHOOL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM - MONDAY, DECEMBER 19:  Our Preschool Christmas Program will be held at 10:00am on Monday, December 19 in the Parish Hall. 

4YK  WINTER PROGRAM - TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20:  Our 4YK Winter Program will be held at 10:00am on Tuesday, December 20 in the Parish Hall. 

CHRISTMAS VACATION:  Christmas vacation will start on Friday, December 23.  Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 3.

HOLIDAY FOOD AND FUNDS DRIVE:  Our 5th Grade Class at St. Francis is sponsoring their annual Holiday Food and Funds Drive to benefit the Ellsworth Food Pantry.  In October alone, our local pantry served close to 400 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 watch for a flier in the near future. Thanks so much for your help!   

WEATHER-DRESS CODE: With the cooler temperatures please be sure students are dressing accordingly. Morning recesses are chilly so jackets, hats, and mittens should be worn. Tennis/closed toe and closed heel shoes need to be worn outside for recess and Phy-ed.  No more sandals/crocs as they are hazardous when running on the blacktop. 

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 
Apps are also available from all of these news outlets.

In the event of a two hour delay, St. Francis 3YK and 4YK  students will not have classes. Eagles Nest Before School Care will open at 9:00am in the event of school being two hours late.


HOME AND SCHOOL ASSOCIATION NEWS
HOME AND SCHOOL MEETING - THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10:   Our next Home and School Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 10 at 7:00 in the Parish Hall.

CARNIVAL NEWS:  Although we are not having the traditional carnival this year, we are currently working on many fun events to take place during Catholic schools week. We will continue to sell the grand raffle tickets and those will be going out to families around the end of November, hopefully before Thanksgiving break.

For those of you that weren’t aware, it was decided at the end of last year to move the carnival to the fall of the year.  We will have a new carnival in the fall of 2023…stay tuned!  

CHURCH/COMMUNITY NEWS
St. Francis Catholic Church is celebrating 125 years of ministry to the Ellsworth community! We invite all St. Francis School families to join us on Friday, November 11 at Tattersall Distilling in River Falls for an Anniversary Jubilee. Doors will open at 5 pm for hors d’oeuvres, live music, dinner, and an event program. Tickets are available to purchase at stfrancisellsworth.com/jubilee or in the Parish Office. 

DATES TO REMEMBER: 
Oct. 28 - Harvest Breakfast and Halloween Celebration
Oct.28 - Custom Parade (8:30am)
Oct. 28 - End of 1st Quarter  
Oct. 31 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher Inservice
Oct. 31 - Trunk or Treat 4:00-7:00 PM
Nov. 1 - All Saints Day Mass - students attending
Nov. 1 - Beginning of 2nd Quarter
Nov. 9 - 3rd - 5th Grade Field Trip to Feed My Starving Children
Nov. 10 - Home and School Meeting (7:00pm)
Nov. 18 - Minnesota Science Museum Assembly
Nov. 23-25 - Thanksgiving Vacation 
Nov. 24 - Happy Thanksgiving
Nov. 30 - Attentive Virtue Awards following Mass
Dec. 8 - Mass to observe the Holy Day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Dec. 14 - Dress Rehearsal for Christmas Program at 1:00pm
Dec. 15 - Christmas Program at 6:00PM
Dec. 16 - Food Drive Donations Due
Dec. 19 - Preschool Christmas Program at 10:00am
Dec. 20 - 4YK Winter Program at 10:00am
Dec. 23 - Jan. 2 - Christmas Vacation
Dec. 25 - Merry Christmas!
Jan. 3 - Classes Resume

May God Bless Our St. Francis Families!!  Please call or email if you have questions: 715-273-4391 or
Mrs. Beverly Miller - Interim Principal principal@stfrancisellsworth.org