Hello St. Gabriel Families,

Check out the following headlines and links to stay updated 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 the HSA (Home and School Association), ATHLETICS, ADULT & YOUTH MINISTRY, 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/NEW" ARTICLES & LINKS

WRISA Accreditation:

Last week Wednesday and Thursday we had a team of nine educators (consisting of 2 Associate Superintendents, 3 Principals, and 4 teachers from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee) come into our school to evaluate St. Gabriel on the Catholic School Standards and Benchmarks which are established by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). The National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS) serves as both a self-assessment and a tool for continuous improvement in the four domains of Mission and Catholic Identity, Governance and Leadership, Academic Excellence, and Operational Vitality.

While it will not be official until June when the Wisconsin Religious & Independent Schools Accreditation (WRISA) board votes on it, I am happy to share with everyone that we are being recommended for full accreditation (no provisions necessary). We met or exceeded expectations for all 73 benchmarks that we were evaluated on. The team was impressed with our school and commended us for integrating our Catholic culture and faith prominently throughout our curriculum and our building. They were also impressed by the curriculum/programs we have in place, the respect and politeness of our students, and the cleanliness of our building. A big thank you to all our teachers, staff members, and committee chairs who were interviewed by the team and worked diligently to collect artifacts to prove our compliance with all the benchmarks during the past year. Your hard work and dedication to St. Gabriel is evident and very much appreciated. We have a lot to be proud of at St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School and it showed last week!!

For more information on the benchmarks and our scoresheet please see the links below.

NSBECS Benchmarks

2024 St. Gabriel Accreditation Scoresheet

NED’S Mindset Mission:

Ned’s Mindset Mission will be visiting our school next Monday, November 18. This school-wide character education program centers around a 45-minute assembly called The NED Show. NED is a loveable cartoon character whose name is an acronym for Never Give Up, Encourage Others, and Do Your Best.

Please see the link below for more information and watch for the Family letter in Thursday’s backpack mail.

NED Shows

INFORMATIONAL ARTICLES & LINKS

Please scroll all the way to the bottom!

Winter Weather is Approaching:

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.

Please see the attached letter from the area schools/districts for more information.

School Closing Information

After-School Care Learning Program:

St. Gabriel School’s After School Program is for students in all-day K4 through 8th grades. The program runs from 3:15 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day and costs $12.00 a day. This program is on a first-come, first-served basis. The maximum number of students for the program is 30 students.

Students must be picked up promptly by 5:30 p.m. A $5 late fee will be charged for late pick-ups.

Due to staffing requirements, we may not be able to accommodate last-minute attendance requests. If space is available, a fee of $5 will be charged for same-day additions to the After School Care list. Since adequate staffing is arranged in advance, same-day cancellations to the program are non-refundable.

Click the link below for the December ASLP sign-up.

December ASLP

Playground/Lunchroom Volunteer Program:

Please consider helping us out on a day-to-day basis. All available opportunities are listed in iVolunteer. Please see the link below for more details.

Day-to-Day Lunchroom/Playground Volunteer Sign-Up

Dress Code:  (No changes have been made)

2024-2025 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

$crip Certificates:

Scrip tuition credits have been issued on Oct. 1 and Nov. 1 totaling over $1,650 to the 28 participating families. This fundraiser is very easy and we hope that all of our families will participate by using gift cards for their Christmas purchases and Christmas gifts. 

Please see Mrs. Schuh in the school office for more information about the Scrip program and how to turn gift card purchases into tuition credits.

$crip is available for purchase after the weekend Masses, in the school office from 9:00 a.m. - 2 p.m., or online.



Interested in learning more about buying online certificates using the RAISE RIGHT app? Please contact Finance Manager, Laura Rogacki, in the Parish Business Office at (262)628-1141 or lrogacki@stgabrielhubertus.org for the program code. 

Already have an account with RaiseRight? Online orders will be filled on Mondays and available to pick up after the weekend Masses. For any questions about the $crip program, please email Laura Rogacki.

There are also additional opportunities to volunteer to assist with the selling of $crip after weekend Masses or to assist with order entry of $crip on Monday mornings in the office from 9 a.m. -11:00 am. Please visit iVolunteer to sign up or contact Linda Schuh in the school office at (262) 628-1711.

DID YOU KNOW...

ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE SCRIP POLICIES:

In order to qualify as a fundraiser under IRS rules and to avoid the possible incurring of unrelated business income tax liability for the parish/school, uncompensated volunteer hours must make up at least 85% of the total number of hours it takes to run the Scrip program. However, the parish/school is ultimately responsible for the program. Scrip volunteers are accountable to the parish/school staff employees charged with oversight responsibilities. Paid parish employees may perform some of the tasks, but their involvement should not exceed 15% of the total activities involved in the operation of the Scrip program. It is advisable to have logs or diaries maintained by volunteers and paid staff to track the time spent on the scrip program.

Scholastic Book Fair:

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the families and staff who supported the Scholastic Book Fair and the volunteers who made it happen! Almost $1,500 was earned from Scholastic as the result of everyone’s purchases. These funds allow the library to expand its inventory of books. This couldn’t be done without you!

Thank you again!

Your Book Fair Team,

Jessica Ditscheit

Rebecca Hartzel

Tricia Gettelman 

Ski & Snowboard Club:

Karen Rick, the previous St. Gabriel Ski & Snowboard Club organizer, has other commitments, but we are working to find out if there is enough interest in the ski and snowboard club, to continue with Mr. DeMers.

Please respond to this short survey if your child/ren may be interested in participating in a ski & snowboard club. Keep in mind that this is not a form to sign up, this is only to gauge interest in the creation of a club. 

We appreciate your time and feedback!

Box Tops:

Last year from July 2023 to June 2024, we raised $360.30 just by scanning shopping receipts with Box Top products.

From July 1, 2024 - present we have raised $130.60 from the Box Tops program. 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! Did you know you can now connect your Walmart account for even easier fundraising? You can earn cash for your school without scanning receipts! See the app for more details.

IVolunteer:

Click the link below to view all the current parish and school volunteer opportunities including:

• Help in the library on Wednesdays (the 2025 schedule is available here)
• Middle School student volunteer opportunities during the HSA Candy Bingo
• Help on the playground or lunchroom
• Help on Mondays with scrip orders/counting weekend sales

https://stgabrielhubertus.ivolunteer.com/

NOTE - Adults who work exclusively with other adults do not need to undergo safeguarding measures. However, if a minor is involved at any point, safeguarding protocols as outlined by the Archdiocese must be followed. All volunteers who volunteer during school hours are required to be certified in the Archdiocese Safe Guarding All of God's Family Class. You can visit this webpage for more details.

Per the update to the handbook regarding Volunteers, pg 12

VOLUNTEERS (4140) Volunteer service is a core value of a Catholic parish and school community and should be both encouraged and publicly acknowledged. The administration at St. Gabriel parish and school strongly believes that parental involvement and participation in school activities is a vital way to have a direct positive impact on your child’s school experience. Volunteers enable our school to run more smoothly, operate within our annual budget, and offer more family-friendly events. So that St. Gabriel can achieve our goals, we ask that each family volunteer at least 10-15 hours during the school year. Gratitude and appreciation for your volunteerism cannot be given with something of value-in-kind for your service. By definition, a volunteer is someone who gives services without any expressed or implied promise of remuneration. 

We encourage every committee who has volunteer opportunities to email Nikki Packee their needs to this email nikki.packee@stgabrielhubertus.org. 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 bulletineditor@stgabrielhubertus.org email address.

On the Calendar...

11/15 - 8:30-9:30 a.m. K4/K5 Reading Round Robin

11/16 - Holiday Boutique - iVolunteer Opportunities available to bake a quick bread for Friday!

11/19 - Spirit Store closes

11/22 - Catholic School Walk donations close

11/23 - Candy Bar Bingo

11/26 - End of Trimester

11/27 - Inservice Day - No School

11/28 - 8:30 a.m. K4 Thanksgiving Feast/Pow-Wow

11/28-11/29 -Thanksgiving Break

12/3 - Spirit Groups Meet - Students should wear their Spirit shirts

12/5 - Report cards go home 

12/19 - Christmas Concert 6:30 p.m.

12/23-1/1 - Christmas Break

Peace and Blessings,

Kim Lestina

Principal

St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School

We nurture academic excellence while we

Proclaim the Word, Form Disciples, Live a Sacramental Life

PLEASE KEEP SCROLLING

A lot is happening at the School and Parish this week!!

IN THE CLASSROOMS

Celebrating All Saints' Day at St. Gabriel!

Our middle school students honored All Saints’ Day, drawing inspiration from Jesus and the lives of saints who embraced faith, courage, and love.

In English and Religion class, they reflected on our 2024/25 school theme “Faith Can Move Mountains” and how we all are called to our own path of sainthood. Through research, each student chose a saint, wrote an essay, and presented it to family, parish members, peers, and teachers at the annual Middle School Saint Museum. The students learned about their saint's unique journeys and how we can all strive to embody virtues like kindness, humility, and service.

Field Trip Fun:

Our K4, K5, and 1st-grade students had a wonderful adventure last week! They went on a field trip to First Stage Children's Theater to watch Pete the Cat: The Musical. The students loved every moment of the show, which brought one of their favorite book characters to life on stage. It was a fantastic experience filled with laughter, music, and the joy of live theater!

Science in Action in Middle School:

Our 6th graders got creative last week, building edible animal cell ORGANELLE structures with gelatin, Whoppers, fruit roll-ups, sprinkles, jelly beans, and licorice! This hands-on experiment helped them learn about cell structures in a deliciously memorable way.

Learning is so fun at

St. Gabriel Parish School.

Spirit Day at St. Gabriel!

Today’s Spirit Day was filled with creativity and gratitude! Students crafted ornaments for the annual St. Gabriel Giving Tree, spreading holiday cheer for families in need. We ended with a fun game sharing all that we're thankful for this season!

St. Gabriel Parish School is collecting donations for peanut butter and breakfast bars for our sister parish, Congregation of the Great Spirit until December 8.

Thank you for helping to make a difference for our sister parish community this holiday season.

Today was the first Destination Imagination Instant Challenge activity:

The teams were tasked with 1) coming up with a Team Name; 2) Designing, building, and naming a Team Mascot given a limited amount of materials to work with; and 3) presenting their mascot and team name to the rest of the group.

They learned quickly what the "instant" part of an Instant Challenge is as they only have 10 minutes to work together as a team to complete the challenge. They all did great, but more importantly, they had fun. Can't wait to see what next week brings!

Save the Date & JOIN US

St. Gabriel Holiday Boutique November 16, 2024

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Your one-stop shop for all your holiday needs - St. Gabriel Holiday Boutique Craft & Vendor Expo

All proceeds go towards St. Gabriel Parish School.

We need a couple more quick breadbakers! Can anyone help make a quick bread for tomorrow, Friday, 11-15?

Visit iVolunteer to sign up or click HERE.

We also need some help removing the temporary floor either Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon. Please reach out to Nikki Packee if you can help

Stop by for lunch! Items on the lunch menu will be made with love and from scratch by our own Chef Connie.

Final call to support our Catholic Schools Walk! We’re just 38% away from reaching our $18,000 goal, and we need your help to get there. Donations are accepted until Friday, November 22. Every contribution makes a difference—thank you for your generous support!

Congratulations to all St. Gabriel volleyball teams on another very successful season. All five teams performed well, improved by leaps and bounds and had a ton of fun doing it.

The 2024 season wrapped up in grand fashion with both the girls' and boys' 8th-grade teams being invited to the year-end Seton tournament. That was a great honor in itself, but to top it off, both teams made it to the elite 8! Great job!

High-five to our 8th graders: Kendall, Maddie, Cadence, and Tommy, for representing St. Gabriel very well over the last 3-4 years. We look forward to watching them play in high school next year.

And a special shout out to our 7th/8th grade boys teams for taking 1st place and the 6th grade team who took 2nd place in their divisions in the very competitive Metro conference! Congrats to all.

PARISH NEWS

Visit this link every Tuesday to view the Calendar Raffle winners.

Moms & Dads of St. Gabriel Parish School!

Join us for small groups on Wednesdays

• Women's small group called Walking With Purpose
• For the guys, That Man Is You small group

AND childcare will be provided from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Click the link below to register or drop in!

Walking with Purpose

That Man Is You

Thanks for reading to the end!

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