Saints School News
School News – January 11, 2021
Saint Wenceslaus Catholic School Office Update
From the Office of Principal:
Dear Parents, Grandparents, and Friends of SWS,
We are very thankful to be able to continue our in-person learning direction. This has been working for us with strict protocols and daily heavy cleaning in the school. I have weekly communication with the county health teams, the Archdiocese, and when necessary the MDH, local clinics, the school district officials, and other professionals who are there to support me and the other school leaders. I also keep weekly/daily commmunication with other principals of the Archdiocese to work out the details of our plan with the ability to include variations to meet the needs of our local community.
We will continue to stay strong with our procedures as we move into the 2nd half of the school year. As time goes on there is a strong desire to want to loosen up. We will not. However, we have learned some things along the way and we can make changes based on what we have observed and witnessed in relation to the spread of the virus. For our school, one key component in staying healthy and limiting the spread is to keep kids home with any symptom – even just one. That cautious response has caught virus spread for both Covid and a regular cold. We are so thankful for the cooperation of our school families in following this standard. It is working.
We have also been very careful to keep our students in small cluster groups and to limit when we intermix them for classes and activities. We have found that it is impossible to keep the students 6 feet apart in any classroom or any situation while in school. We do try to space them a little bit, but this is limited and non-functioning as originally planned. We strategically seat each child and teacher every week for Mass, we have assigned seats for lunch, we take care in kids moving through the halls and using the bathrooms, we restrict mixing on the playground, and we plan ahead for each new activity. Moving forward we will continue to focus more on small clusters because that works best.
We ask everyone to stay strong and to continue to pray for our school, our students, each of our school families, and especially for our staff. We will get through this if everyone sticks together. It is a great way to participate in the SWS school family that we are so proud of.
Pray Often, Work Hard, Trust God!
School Sweepstakes Raffle – Get your ticket stubs in soon!
All tickets are $10 each
K-8 – $300 of tickets and Preschool – $50 of tickets.
The raffle is for cash prizes.
Drawing will be: Catholic Schools Week – February 3.
If you can sell more than your share at your place of employment or with your relatives, we would greatly appreciate the help. We need to raise $25,000 with this raffle for our school budget. This is one of our three required fundraisers. (Marathon, Sweepstakes, Fish Fry)
Pot-O-Gold Tickets are now being sold.
Here is your chance to win $20,000 in cash!
Tickets are $100 each and only 650 will be sold.
Drawing will be at our summer golf event on June 11.
1 = $20,000
4 = $1000
2 = $500
Total of $25,000 cash prizes
We appreciate if each family would consider buying 1 ticket! Selling is also suggested. Can you sell 3-5 tickets?
Contact Sherry.hartman@swsaints to arrange to get the tickets beacuse we will not send these home with the children.
Snowman Celebration
Snowman kits were mailed out to about 100 kids who are the age of “incoming” preschool students – age 2-4. This is a fun way to give our little ones a winter celebration without having our normal party.
If we missed your child or know of a child who did not get a kit and are planning to enroll in Little Saints Preschool, then please let us know.
(Current PreK kids did not get a kit because they are enrolling in kindergarten. These kits went to younger kids only)
Preschool Open House
Registration for fall 2021 is taking place. We are offering a “live in-person” night when future preschool families can come to see our preschool hallway, classrooms, and meet all of our teachers.
Those of you familiar with the school and the teachers do not need to attend this event.
Preschool registration forms can be dropped off on this night or mailed in. (download registration form) You are not obligated to attend the open house to register your child in the program.
* Bring your preschool-age child but only if they have no symptoms of cold or flu.
* Adults will wear masks.
* All will sanitize coming in and going out.
* Our facility will accept 4 families per room at a time for social distancing (We have 4 rooms and can accept 16 visitors at a time). Each family will be asked to spend limited time based on attendance.
Tuesday, January 19
Stop in anytime between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM
Park on Columbus Avenue and enter through the doors named “Preschool Entrance”.
Parenting Session with Dr. Jules
All Catholic school parents are encouraged to take advantage of the free group counseling webinars brought to you by CSCOE (Catholic School Center of Excellence).
The next sessions are on January 12 or January 28.
https://calendly.com/drjulesnolan/positive-discipline-and-parenting-during-stressful-time?month=2021-01
A Starry Night
SWS Annual Event
March 20, 2021
We will be looking for all and any items that can be donated for our online bidding event.
Please consider being a cash sponsor, an item donor, or a gift of a cabin week, sunny condo, sporting event or any other fun item.
These items are now beign requested (deadline- March 1)
Summer Preschool and Summer Club House
(preschool and grades K-5)
We are happy to be moving forward with opening both programs for the summer!
Please fill out a brief survey if interested in a program for the summer.
https://forms.gle/QtZayqGug16WpYAD
January Teacher Days
1. Friday, January 15 – no K-8 classes but preschool and Club House are open.
2. Monday, January 18 –Staff Retreat – all programs closed
3. Friday, Janaury 29 – no K-8 classes but preschool and Club House are open.
K-8 families may register for Club House for January 15 and January 29 – Click here.
NWEA Winter Testing
K-8 will begin winter testing this week. Each student will take a test in reading and math. Most students complete each test in about 45 minutes per section.
The NWEA tests are used to track growth during a particular school year. This helps our teachers stay on track with the curriculum and the standards set for learning. We will not look at national and state standard comparisons this year. We want to look at growth from one time to the next. Teachers in grades 1-8 will compare to fall results. They will they compare again when taking the spring tests. Kindergarten will take the test for the first time now and teachers will want to see growth from now to spring testing.
Our teachers know what their curriculum goals are. They want to make sure all students are successful to get there. These tests break skills down so teachers can focus more on each child.
Please encourage your child to do their best.
This week ends our first semester (January 15).
Students should make sure all of their work is turned in according to teacher directions.
Teachers work on report cards next week and then they will be sent to you.
Grades K-4 have standards based grades. (Standards are being worked on all year. You want your child to be “partialy meets standards now and meets standards at the end of the year” – that is good and means your child is on track)
Grades 5-8 have traditional letter grades based on percentage. A-B-C-D-F
Catholic School Week
We will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week January 31 – February 5. Watch for more information to come for special dress up days and activities. This is going to be a fun week for all students and staff and a nice break in the year.
Book Fair to take place virtually this year – February 1
Our usual Catholic Schools Week book fair will take place virtually this year. The goal is to seel books so that every child get a new zest and energy for reading and to raise a few bucks to help keep new books in the library.
Here is a link for a tutorial on browsing and buying in the online book fair for the parents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0DaPNwGmkE&feature=youtu.be
We will send you a link to the Book Fair on Feb. 1 and then you can make a purchase.
Fish Fry to take place soon!
We will be having a take out/drive by fish fry this year. Fish fry volunteers be sending out protocols soon.
The fish fry is the 3rd and final required fundraiser. Every family will be asked to buy or sell 10 tickets.
This is also an event that needs volunteers. Watch for this information.
Reminder for Fundraising and Volunteering
Required fundraisers for families (3 required):
Marathon, Sweepstakes, Fish Fry
Required volunteer activities (2 shifts or 2 events required):
Fish fry, Starry Night Event, golf tournament
All other fundraisers are necessary but not required. We appreciate all participation and hope most join in.
All other volunteer activities are greatly appreciated. This year those opportunities are very limited.
Coborns More Reward Points
Here is such an easy way for you to contribute to the school. Coborns give away $150,000 each year to schools. The money is divided between all schools that have members with points. It is so easy to sign up. Then we get the rewards each time you shop and SWS gets a donation.
1. Go to: moreRewards.com
2. Create an account
3. Proceed to login
4. Goto: manage my membership
5. Choose school reward
6. Select: St. Wenceslaus Catholic School
Amazon Smile Program
Sign up. Name St. Wenceslaus Catholic School (make sure it is our school in Minnesota because there are also schools by the same name in other states) Our school receives 0.5% back on all purchases. It might not seem like a lot, but it all adds up over time.Go to this link to register.
https://smile.amazon.com
Registration for Kindergarten Families
Now – Open to the public!
1. For every kindergarten student who registers from this point until June 1 – all kindergarten tuition gets lowered by $50 for every kindergarten family upto 28 students.
Click for registration form
2. Kindergarten students who are registered by January 31, 2021, and stay enrolled in fall 2021 will receive an additional $150 tuition credit from a CSCOE (Catholic School Center of Excellence) grant! – This is a firm deadline so don’t miss it.
Aim Higher Foundation Tuition Scholarships for K-8
The window is now open for applications for the 2021-2022 school year. Apply before February 20 deadline.
This is a needs-based scholarship program. Families apply through TADS by filling out the TADS application and then clicking on the scholarship button for the Aim Higher Foundation. Click here for more information.
Registration for Preschool 2021
We are accepting registration for preschool for fall 2021.
Little Saints Preschool – Click here for forms.
Please help us by passing this form on to family and friends who might be interested in our preschool program.
Preschool 2021-2022 Early learning Scholarship
All students going into the prekindergarten and one year away from kindergarten may qualify for this program.
Get a preschool scholarship $500 to $3000!
Spread the word! This is open to everyone who is “middle income”. Students likely to enroll in our SWS kindergarten the following year are given highest priority for getting this award.
Click here to get more information and the application link.
Enrollment for students in Grades 1-8 for next fall.
We will have an automatic re-enrollment again this year.
This is great for you because you do not need to fill out any paperwork now. It is necessary for us so that we can make sound financial decisions and staffing plans.
The registration fee is required and will be automatically charged to your TADS account on March 1st. Registration fees are $50 per student.
We will assume your child/ren is/are returning to SWS in the fall unless you make arrangements directly with Kim Doyle. Please contact KIm before March 1 to workout any details. kim.doyle@swsaints.org
14 day Quarantine stays in place for SWS
Some of the directives have recently changed with the CDC, however, St. Wenceslaus will continue with the 14 day plan (when there are exposures)
Directives from the Archdiocese allow for exceptions to go to a 10 day quarantine only in certain cases and when the risk of exposure and academic programming need to be weighed and determined- at the discretion of the school principal.
Here is a letter from LeSueur County officials as it concerns the 14 day timing and safety. Click here.
Wed., Jan. 13 – Mass ( gr 4a plans)
Wd., Jan. 13 – School Advisory Meeting 6:30 PM
Fri., Jan. 15 – No K-8 Classes but preschool and Club House are open
Mon. Jan 18 – Teacher retreat – No K-8, No Preschool, and No Club House. (Martin Luther King Holiday)
Tues. Jan. 19 – Preschool open house and registration -5:00-7:00 PM
Wed., Jan. 20 – Mass (gr. 5 plans)
Wed., Jan 27 – Mass (gr. 4b plans)
Fri., Jan.29 – NO K-8 classes but preschool and Club House are open
Sun., Jan 31 – Catholic Schools Week begins
Tues., Feb. 2 – Sweepstakes Tickets are due
Wed. Feb. 3 – Sweepstakes Winners Pulled!
Wed. Feb. 3 – 8:00 School Mass (Gr. 3)
Looking ahead:
Kindergarten preview nights: February 9 and 10
Mon. Feb. 15 – President Day Holiday – School Closed
Fri., Feb. 19 – Fish Fry
Sat., March 20 – A Starry Night!
SWS 2020 Finish Strong
Year-End Fundraiser
Click Here
All gifts to this fund will help our school maintain our COVID-19 safety protocols.
Currently we have collected
$16,136.00
Our goal is
$20,000.00
Saints Return 2020
Contains all Covid related plans.
Go to swsaints.org
COVID Contacts
Health Aide – teresa.rademacher@swsaints.org
Principal – kim.doyle@swsaints.org
Office Manager- sherry.hartman@swsaints.org
