Monday News 11/13

“Have the courage to be truly happy! ”

~Pope Francis

 

Message from Principal Angie Krauss:

Dear Families,

 

I was grateful and encouraged by all the families that joined our staff for our fall conferences last week.  Our time together helps strengthen our partnership and inform us on how we can better support and educate your child.  I am also proud of our staff who prepared informative materials and data to share with our parents.  This team approach is the biggest asset we can give our children.  

 

I wanted to let you know that on Wednesday, November 22 the day before Thanksgiving, our aftercare for children in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade will begin at noon and end at 4pm.  This is a change from last year when we were open until 6pm.

 

I appreciate everyone’s help in the parking lot and following the new system.  I still am having some issues with kids being dropped off before the designated drop off zone.  Please be mindful that this is not safe for your child and also causes the drop off procedure to be drastically slowed down.  Please be patient and wait until you enter the striped drop off zone near the front of the building.  

 

Hope you enjoyed your brisk, but beautiful three day weekend!

 

In Christ’s Peace,

Angie Krauss

 

ELC Information:

K-8th families:  Wednesday, November 22 the day before Thanksgiving, our aftercare for children in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade will begin at noon and end at 4pm.

 

Teddy Bears: This week we will be water coloring leaves to put on our bulletin board. Also on Thursday we will be celebrating our “Color of the Month Day” by wearing brown.

 

Chickadees: This week the Chickadee’s will begin talking about Turkeys, Family, and Thanksgiving. We will turn our house area into a Thanksgiving House and make some crafts to decorate our room with. We will also continue learning the alphabet during our circle time and start learning Christmas songs for our Christmas Program.

 

Owls: This week we will be talking about what it means to be thankful, and discussing the things we are thankful for. We will also read the story of the first Thanksgiving. Along with this story we will be discussing some of the things the Pilgrims might have been thankful for and why we celebrate Thanksgiving today. The children will also have a chance to share with the class the different ways they celebrate Thanksgiving and how it is similar or different from the Pilgrims.

 

Blue Jays: Next week we will start talking about Thanksgiving and what we are thankful for. For art we will be making turkey hands!

 

Hawks: This week the Hawks class will focus on our fall assessments.  We will review letters that we have learned thus far and begin learning about Thanksgiving.

 

Tigers: Next week the Tigers class will be working on Fall Assessments. We will be doing a review on letters, numbers, shapes and colors.

 

Montessori East and West: The topic of discussion for the week will be North America. Our class will participate in Operation Christmas Child. I have put out a sign-up sheet for donations on our desk outside our classroom. We need the items by November 17th. Please plan ahead for the Thanksgiving break. We will have a half day (noon dismissal) on November 22nd. I will put a sign-up sheet for families that need daycare for that afternoon. Also we will be closed on November 23rd and 24th for Thanksgiving.

 

ALL-SCHOOL: Mark your Calendars:

Nov 15th- Parent Advisory Meeting

Nov 18th- Leaf Raking

Nov 22nd- 12pm Early dismissal

Nov 23-24- Thanksgiving Holiday-  School closed/ELC Closed

Dec 1st- Picture Retake Day

Dec 6th- ELC/Mont Christmas Program- more info to come

Dec 8th- Immaculate Conception Mass- 12:15 at St. Al’s Church

Dec 13th- K-8th Christmas Program- More info to come

Dec 14th- Advent Reconciliation

Dec 20-Jan 2nd- Christmas Break-  ELC/School Closed Dec 25th-Jan 2nd

Jan 3rd- School Resumes

 

Important Notes & Reminders:

5th-8th grade Basketball:  Now is the time to sign up for basketball.  Registration deadline is Nov. 14th.  After this date, teams will be formed and there may not be space. Please click on the link below to register your son/daughter for basketball.  https://www.familyid.com/st-aloysius-gonzaga-school/2017-2018-basketball-grades-5-8

 

Fall sports uniforms:  All uniforms must be turned in by Friday, Nov 17th.  Uniforms will only be checked in if they are in a clearly marked bag with your child’s name on it.  If uniforms are not turned in by Nov 17th you will be charged.

Blessings Under the Bridge:  We have spots available for Nov. 15th.  If you are interested in volunteering please email Pat Mills at pmills@dioceseofspokane.org .

Lost and Found:  Our lost and found is very full.  Please make sure you check l for your child’s belongings.  It will be donated at the end of November.

 

Mission Advancement:

Building the Future Capital Campaign:

We are working diligently to raise $600,000 so we can Cross The Phase 2 Finish Line! So far, we have raised $41,000 and we continue to solicit major gifts, in-kind gifts, corporate gifts, family gifts, memorial gifts, etc. If you know an individual, family, business or foundation that might love to support St. Al’s and our Building The Future capital campaign, please let us know. We’ll do all the work! Please continue to pray for generous support of our mission and our campaign. Thank you!

• Cross the Phase 2 Finish Line! To date, we have raised over $2.9 million, and we still need $600,000 to complete construction and cover Phase 2 soft costs, furnishings, curriculum, landscaping, playgrounds, etc. GIVE TODAY at www.stalsschool.org and help us Cross The Phase 2 Finish Line! For more information, please contact Cami Carlson at 489-7825 x238 or ccarlson@dioceseofspokane.org.

 

Annual Report – Kids Under Construction

Our 2016-17 annual report will be printed and mailed this week. It’s another fun publication that promotes the spirit of St. Al’s, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

 

DID YOU KNOW??? WE WILL BE HOSTING OUR 2018 ANNUAL AUCTION IN OUR NEW BUILDING! Mark you calendars now for FEBRUARY 2, 2018 and make history with us at this debut event!

 

Christmas Cards For Sale!

We love our partnership with the Knights of Columbus #15143 – St. Aloysius Parish Council! The Knights support our school in a multitude of ways every year. This year, the Knights of Columbus used the 2016 Keep Christ In Christmas Poster Contest winning student designs to create beautiful Christmas cards! There are nine AWESOME student creations in each set of cards. The set of 9 cards is on sale now for $10! All proceeds will benefit our incredible visual and performing arts programs! You can purchase your cards at the upstairs front desk with Mrs. Kelly. Please complete the attached order form and submit it with payment (cash or check). We have 45 sets on hand now, and we can order more! Purchase your cards today!

Send Us Your Pictures

Please share your pictures you take at sporting events or any fun St. Al’s moments that you capture.  We will gladly share them on our social media!

 

Auction News:

The date of the auction is February 2, 2018.  Mark your calendars now!  

 

Our 2nd auction meeting is on November 14th at 5:30pm.  Please join us!  This is a great way to earn volunteer hours!

All St. Al’s families are asked to donate to the auction. Our partnership with parents enables this event to be our most successful fundraiser of the year.

Ways to Donate/Procure Items:

Become an Auction Sponsor!  You can do this by filling out the attached Auction 2018 Sponsorship Opportunities page and returning it to school.
Purchase merchandise worth $100 retail value and donate it to the school. Black Friday is coming up and it’s a great way to score items for a lower price.
Family Basket Challenge: donate a completed theme basket, filled, wrapped and ready for display.
Procure/Ask for donations from local businesses you frequent.
If you are unable to do any of the above, simply pay $50 to the school c/o Auction.
Family donations turned in by December 11th, 2017, will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a $200 tuition credit.
The drawing will take place December 12th, 2017.

Follow us on Instagram @ st.alsgonzaga  Share your photos and St. Al’s stories with Anne Hesler at ahesler@dioceseofspokane.org .

 

Follow us on Facebook “St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic School Spokane”

Share our stories on Facebook.  Help us spread the word of what is happening here at St. Al’s.

 

Volunteer Hours:

Please email  Aleisha Webb at awebb@dioceseofspokane.org if you did not receive a Volunteer Hour Summary for the month of October or if you have any questions about volunteer hour recording.

When recording Hallowfest volunteers hours, please use these guidelines:

• Cake walk baking- list under “baking/cooking”

• Book walk, Booth sponsorships, volunteering at a booth/game, and clean-up/set-up- list under “Hallowfest”

 

Reminder: If you are coaching a sport please indicate which sport you are coaching. If recording in any of the “other” categories, please leave a description at the bottom of the page. Hours will not be accepted until clarified. Thank you!

 

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Baking for volunteer hours: This Friday, November 17th will be a staff luncheon. If you would like to participate in this volunteer opportunity, please follow the Meal Train link listed below. If you have any questions, please email me at awebb@dioceseofspokane.org.

https://mealtrain.com/qvzlo8

• Leaf Raking! : We are still planning on doing this!  We are looking for volunteers the morning of Saturday, November 18th to help with leaf raking. We are planning to work from 8:00am-12:00pm. Donuts and coffee will be provided, but please bring your own rakes. Plan for wet weather! If you are interested in helping, please follow the link below to sign up:

  • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XsMv8QPzDVLRknQKT8EH4X8wzsulcJBxQ49MqTe85uY/edit?usp=sharing

NOTE: This is something new I am trying, on a mobile device you will need Google Sheets in order to sign up. On a computer, you can just click on the link. I would love to get feedback about this!  You can also email me at awebb@dioceseofspokane.org to volunteer.

• PLANNING AHEAD: With the Christmas program being about a month away, I would like to let you know about a couple opportunities to volunteer. I will need volunteers to help set-up risers at about 9am on Tuesday, December 12th and then tear down later that afternoon (time TBD). I will need the same help on Wednesday, December 13th about 9am to set-up. Tear down and clean up will be after the Christmas program. If you are interested in helping out please email me at awebb@dioceseofspokane.org.

Auction:

It is not too late to join our planning team!  Please join us for our second meeting on Tuesday, November 14th at 5:30pm.  Child care will not be provided for this meeting.  

There are many ways you can help! Here are a few examples:

• Decorations

• Technology

• Silent Auction

• Backroom

• Procurement

• Set Up Crew

• Clean Up Crew

If you are interested in helping out with the auction in any way, please attend the meeting. Please RSVP to Aleisha Webb via email at awebb@dioceseofspokane.org or at 509-489-7825 ext. 244

Box Tops and Labels for Education:

 

Box Tops winners for the month of October are in! Congratulations to 2nd grade for bringing in 400 Box Tops! Winning class treats will be discussed with teachers this week. 1816 Box Tops were collected for the month of October, we had almost every class participate! Here are the totals for the rest of the school:

Mont: 50 3rd:   170

KAM: 0 4th:   170

KALL: 175 5th    0

1st:    200 6th:   119

MAC:: 349 7th:   82

2nd:: 400 8th:  225

Our total for the 2017-18 school year (so far) is $546.50! That is only $17 away from our total amount collected ($563.90) for  the 2016-17 school year. Keep up the good work families!!!

Please check out the bulletin board outside of Mrs. Devita’s room for our weekly updated totals. Box Tops/Labels can be taped or glued to the sheet (no staples, please) or you can submit them in baggies. You may claim 1 hour of volunteer time for every 50 Box Tops/Labels for Education submitted.  Please make sure to write your family name and grade on the sheet or baggie so that your child’s class receives credit. Each family is required to record their own hours. Please record these hours under the category “Box Tops and Labels for Education”. We do not record hours for your family.

• Did you know that Box Tops has an app? This app offers bonus Box Tops and exclusive deals! The products listed will earn our school anywhere from 2-5 bonus Box Tops. For more information or to download go to

  • http://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp

• In addition to earning our school bonus Box Tops, you can also save money at the same time. Here is the link to the current coupons available on the Box Tops website.

  • https://www.boxtops4education.com/coupons

• Our school’s Box Tops total for the April-November submission is $! Keep up the good work!

STAG Pride/Kudos/Prayers:

• Please pray for the homeless in our community. May they find comfort and services they need during difficult times.