Hello St. Gabriel Families,

Check out the following headlines and links to stay up-to-date on everything happening at St. Gabriel Parish School.  The headlines that are highlighted are NEW or UPDATED for this Gazette.

As you scroll towards the bottom of the Gazette, there are various messages/events/needs from our parish and school committees like AUCTION, HSA (Home and School Association), ATHLETICS, etc. Please continue to scroll down to the end of this email to see all that is happening at our vibrant school and parish!

"TAKE ACTION NOW" ARTICLES & LINKS

Winter Weather is Here:

We all knew that the time would eventually come when we would have to talk about the cold temperatures and snow. That time is upon us. The snow is beautiful but it comes with some additional safety precautions. Here are a few reminders about our winter weather protocols.

1. Please make sure that your children come prepared to go outside for recess each day during winter. They will need boots, hats, and mittens. If the temperature, including the wind chill, is below 10 degrees, recess will be indoors.
2. The sidewalks may be slippery! During drop-off and pick-up times, please remind your child(ren) to be extra careful getting into and out of your car. Also, please do not allow your children to walk behind the cars. We have had “fender benders” in the line and do not want anyone getting hurt.
3. Please remind your children that playing and building in the snow at school is ok, however, they cannot throw snow. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, snowball fights will need to be saved for home.
4. If we need to close school due to inclement weather, a notification will be sent to parents via email and text. The notification will also be posted on our website and Facebook page. In addition, we will report our school closing on TMJ 4, FOX 6, and WISN 12.

Report Cards:

The end of the trimester was Tuesday, November 21st. Report cards have been finalized and were sent home last Thursday. If your child has not received their report card due to an absence, it can be picked up in the office on any day that school is in session. Please look over the report card with your child(ren), sign the envelope, and return it to your child’s classroom teacher.

INFORMATIONAL ARTICLES & LINKS

Please scroll all the way to the bottom!

Tomorrow, Friday, December 8th we will be celebrating The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception with an all-school Mass at 8:30 a.m. Please join us if you are able.

The parent coffee and fellowship will also be available before and after Mass.

January’s Spirit Group Activity:

Our January Spirit Groups need your help and so does the Congregation of the Great Spirit.

The January Catholic Social teaching theme is Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. Our sister church, the Congregation of the Great Spirit serves a large population of homeless people in the Milwaukee area.

We would like to make fleece blankets to give them to help out with this need. If you would like to help out, here is what we need…

• Donations of any color/pattern of fleece material. In order for them to be big enough to make into a blanket we are asking for the fleece fabric to be 3 yards in length.
• All donations can be sent to school and dropped off in the office between now and January 2nd.

We will be using the material to make blankets with our spirit groups on January 4th. Thank you in advance for helping us with this great cause!

Blessings to you all,

The Spirit Group Committee

REMINDER - Catholic School Accreditation:

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has a seven-year accreditation cycle for all of its Catholic Schools. St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School is scheduled to be accredited during the 2024-2025 school year. This means that this school year, our teachers and staff are working to gather information and artifacts to show that we meet or exceed the 13 standards and 74 benchmarks that have been established by the United States Catholic Bishops for our Catholic schools. 

As a part of this process, we must gather information from our school parents regarding our school. The survey link below is used by the NSBECS (National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools) for accreditation purposes. Please take a moment and complete the survey for St. Gabriel. I’ve also included a link to a copy of the standards and benchmarks that we will be evaluated on next school year. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.  

Thank you for your support!!

Accreditation Parent Survey

NSBECS Standards and Benchmarks

Mid-Year Survey:

Our marketing team and administration appreciate your involvement in the mid-year survey. Your feedback is incredibly valuable. We are always looking for ways to improve our school and enhance the community atmosphere that we are so blessed to have among our families. Providing your feedback helps us with that. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey.

We had 45 families respond to the survey which has given us valuable insight into the effectiveness of our communications, interest in programs, obstacles to volunteering, and the overall atmosphere of our school (Please see the summary of the results below). We will use this information to market our school, attract new families, and retain our current families.

We have also read and discussed each of the eight comments/suggestions that were left. Fr. Tim and I will be reaching out to those who have expressed a desire to discuss their feedback. Please remember that our doors are always open and we are happy to discuss your ideas and/or concerns.

Special thanks to MARRC member, Wendy Lechusz, for summarizing the survey results below:

Strengths:

• Almost 90% of parents are satisfied with their child's experience at St. Gabriel
• Parents feel welcomed at our school and comfortable sharing concerns
• Most parents feel their children have the opportunity to succeed at school and have the necessary supplies/equipment to do so
• Rules and discipline are consistently followed
• Pride and recommendations for our school are high
•  School is clean

Opportunities:

• The timing of events and work obligations are the most frequent barriers to parent volunteers
• Community service opportunities and band are the extra-curricular activities with the highest parent interest 
• Low response/availability from parents to support leading extra-curricular activities
• One-third of respondents expressed a desire for more feedback from teachers on how their child is doing

MARRC'S Latest Initiatives: Acquisition and Retention Focus

Acquisition Focus:

• Mark your calendars for the Pancake Breakfast/Open House on 1/28/24! Join us in welcoming prospective families to our school. All school families and parishioners are invited to attend, visit the classrooms, and see firsthand all the wonderful and engaging learning that is happening at St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School. More details will be coming soon along with volunteer opportunities for you to help us make St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School shine!

Retention Focus:

• We are planning a Spring Parent Information Night for 4th-8th-grade parents. The event will focus on questions about the transition to middle school and our St. Gabriel offerings for middle school plus area high school options for our students. Stay tuned for more information.
• Additionally, we are exploring how to offer the two extra-curricular options that received the highest parent interest – community service and band.

Please click HERE if you would like to view the survey data. MARRC meets on the first Monday of each month and we welcome new members. Committee members include Wendy Lechusz, Katie Muth, Liz Poff, Melanie Staudt, and Joanie Weyer along with the following teachers and staff, Sarah Kohls, Nikki Packee, Lucy Rappis, and JoAnne Wasserman.

7/8-Grade Boys Basketball Team at the Fiserv Forum last month

Dress Code:

2023-2024 Dress Code Policy

Our Lands End school account has been updated to reflect this year’s dress code. Our school number is 900129099.

Lands End School Account Info

Lands End Website

After-School Care Learning Program:

January's ASLP registration is now available. Please CLICK HERE to sign your child up and to pay. You may also visit our website to sign up your child/ren.

$crip Certificates:

$crip certificates are the perfect gifts for holiday gifts, birthdays, anniversaries, and thank yous. You may purchase $crip cards in the school office, after weekend Masses, or online.

Scrip is a Win-Win program - WIN for St. Gabriel School fundraising and WIN for our families tuition statements! 

Interested in learning more about buying online certificates using the RAISE RIGHT app? Please contact Laura Rogacki in the Parish Office (262-628-1141) for the program code. 

Already have an account with RaiseRight? Please place your special orders online by 8 a.m. Monday mornings to have them filled by Thursday each week (excluding holiday weeks).

$crip volunteers are always needed to help sell $crip cards after the weekend Masses. It’s easy and training is provided. Plus you always work with another person so you can get to know your fellow parishioners. If you have a few minutes (approximately 15) to give after weekend Mass, please prayerfully consider helping us sell $crip cards. Contact Cindy Fassbender at [email protected] for more details.

For any questions about the $crip program, please email Cindy Fassbender at [email protected]) or Laura Rogacki at [email protected].

Box Tops:

So far we have earned $155.50 just by scanning receipts!

Earn easy cash for our school by using the Box Tops app. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like cereal, snacks and more!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need - equipment, supplies, or experiences the kids love!

Use this referral code FOYQ3YFW when you sign up and you’ll get 25 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 05/31/2024, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here.

IVolunteer:

NEW volunteer opportunities have been added for AUCTION, Athletics, St. Ben's, and Fellowship Sundays! Click the link below to view all the parish and school volunteer opportunities. Simply click the link below to sign up! https://stgabrielhubertus.ivolunteer.com/

NOTE - Non-school families will NOT be allowed to volunteer at events when students are present. All school volunteers are required to be certified in the Archdiocese Safe Guarding All of God's Family Class. Please visit this webpage for more details.

We encourage every committee who has volunteer opportunities to email Nikki Packee their needs to this email - [email protected]. Please reach out, should you have questions, or visit this URL to volunteer!!! #manyhandsmakeworklight

Articles and updates for the school Gazette, weekly Parish Bulletin, website, or social media may continue to be sent to the [email protected] email address.

On the Calendar...

12/11 - Advent Prayer Service - 8:30 a.m. Gym

12/12 December Spirit Groups - Wear spirit group shirts with out-of-uniform bottoms

12/18 - Advent Prayer Service - 8:30 a.m. Gym

12/20 - Auction Meeting at 6:30 p.m.

12/20 - HSA Meeting 7:00 p.m.

12/21 - Christmas Concert 6:30 p.m.

12/25-1/1 - Christmas Break

1/ 4 - January Spirit Groups

1/28 - Pancake Breakfast and Open House

Peace and Blessings,

Kim Lestina

Principal

St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School

Proclaim the Word, Form Disciples, Live a Sacramental Life

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SCHOOL & PARISH EVENTS

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