August 14, 2019 - Anchored in His Love
Hospitality - St. Isidore the Farmer
Dear St. Isidore Families,

It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome you to the 2019–2020 school year! I could not be more honored to be the principal of St. Isidore School. Our morning started with an all-school assembly where we celebrated the start of another school year. It was heartwarming to see so many parents and grandparents gathered in support of the students; what a wonderful representation of our community. Assembly was followed by a parent coffee hosted by our Hospitality Committee: Alida Beilke, Kristi Brown, Annemarie Carpenter and Brooke Corradini. Thank you, ladies, for organizing—you rock! The morning coffee provided parents a chance to catch up while learning about the school’s different committees and volunteer opportunities. Judging by today’s energy and excitement, it is evident that this is going to be a fantastic school year!
 
Student Emergency Form
In today’s Family Envelope is the Student Emergency Information Form for the 2019–2020 school year. It is important that you review, initial and RETURN the form TOMORROW. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
 
Back to School BBQ Social
Let’s kick off the start of another great school year at our annual Back to School BBQ Social this Friday, August 16, from 5:30pm to 8pm. The BBQ is a great way to catch up with friends and meet new school families. There will be a grilled cheese truck, taco truck, and wood-fired pizza available for purchase. We kindly ask that you patronize the food truck vendors. The student spirit store, “The Pup-up Shop” will have items available for sale. Come check out the new hot item, SIS water bottles.
 
Back to School Nights
Back to School Night for grades TK–5 will take place Tuesday, August 20, 6pm–7:30pm, and Back to School Night for grades 6–8 will take place Thursday, August 22, 6pm–7:30pm. The events will begin promptly at 6pm in the St. Isidore Church. Back to School Night provides us the opportunity to inform you of any updates or changes for the 2019–2020 school year. After the meeting in the church, you will have the opportunity to see your child’s/children’s classroom and meet their teachers.
 
Thank You Teachers and Staff
SIS is truly blessed to have so many fantastic teachers and staff who come to school each day with the primary goal of helping your children grow and learn. They have been hard at work preparing and planning for a successful school year. I appreciate their dedication and commitment. We are excited to welcome several new staff members to the team this year; please see the list below.
 
Teachers:
5th Grade: Ms. Nicole Emery; Technology: Ms. Jane Symonds; PE: Mr. Jason Hicks
 
Teacher Assistants:
TK: Mrs. Ruthie Meyer; Kindergarten: Ms. Jennifer Conforti; 5th Grade: Ms. Andrea McLaughlin, Mrs. Shawn Condon and Mrs. Jenna Bender; 6th Grade: Ms. Kourtney Gonzaga; 7th Grade: Miss Aleza Rodriguez; Jr. High Science: Ms. Courtney Cameron
 
We also welcome Mrs. Tracey Schmidt back to campus. She will be serving as our Director of Religious Affairs. Miss Landry, now Mrs. Caldwell, was married over the summer.
 
It’s evident that SIS is a special community, and I look forward to partnering with you to support our students’ success. Tomorrow, August 15, is a holy day of obligation, the Assumption of Mary, and we will go to mass as a school at 8:10am. We would love for you to come and pack the pews. Please join us if you can!
Due to the extreme heat we will not do afternoon carpool the rest of the week. Please plan to park and pick up. Regular morning carpool.
 
God bless,

Maria Ward, Principal
We would like to thank everyone who has generously donated thus far to Mind the Gap. Please remember that we need everyone to donate $500 per child to close this year’s gap in our operating budget. Join us in making this annual campaign a success that will make a difference in our children’s lives.
Important Dates
  • Thursday, August 15 - All School Mass/Assumption of Mary at 8:10am. First full day of school: 7:50am-2:50am.
  • Friday, August 16 - Back to School BBQ Social 5:30pm-8pm.
  • Monday, August 19 - 1:50pm dismissal.
  • Tuesday, August 20 - TK-5 Back to School Night 6pm-7:30pm.
  • Thursday, August 22 - Grades 6,7,8 Back to School Night 6pm-7:30pm.
  • Friday, August 23 - All School Mass 8:10am (led by Student Leadership).
  • Monday, August 26 - 1:50pm dismissal.
  • Wednesday, August 28 - Picture Day.
  • Friday, August 30 - 12pm dismissal.
  • Monday, September 2 - No School in observance of Labor Day.
Prayers
Please pray for all those who are suffering or are in need of our thoughts and prayers, especially Will Pringle who is ill. Please also pray the for the uncle of the Tripaldi Family - Bill Zelko as well as Mrs. Ogburn's mother - Carol Thompson and the mother of Kathleen Radecke who have all passed away. May God keep them in His tender, loving care.
PTG News
Welcome back SIS Families! We hope you had a fantastic summer! We have some wonderful events planned for our school and community this upcoming year. We look forward to seeing you at each event. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at ptg@stisidore.org with questions or comments. 

Your PTG Board,
Denise, Theresa, Cindy, Jacqueline and Meredith

Save the date for this year's SIS Golf Classic: Monday, September 30th!
Sponsorship
If you are interested in becoming School Sponsor for the 2019-2020 school year please reach out to the sponsorship team at sponsorship@stisidore.org . Click here to view Sponsorship Opportunities. Click here for the Sponsorship Commitment Form.

SPONSOR SHOUT OUT: We’d like to give a big shout out and thank you to this year’s early Sponsors! We are grateful for your support! Here’s to another fantastic year!

  • Bishop Ranch
  • Challenge
  • Fremont Bank
  • Lehmer’s Concord
  • Frasca Insurance Group
  • Eye Care Associates of San Ramon Valley
  • Stephanie Canessa, State Farm Agent
  • Bishops Cut & Color
Important Reminders
  • All polos/sweatshirts must have current school logo. The old logo is no longer allowed.
  • Students are not allowed to bring fast food to school. In & Out, Gotta Eat a Pita, Chipotle, etc. are considered fast food. Sandwich from a deli is approved.
  • Parents on campus during school hours must check in at the office for a badge.
  • If your child is absent, please call the attendance line: (925) 837-2977 to report.
  • Please make sure your volunteer requirements are current and on file in the office. Virtus certificates must be dated after 7/1/19. Click here to launch Virtus.
  • You will get your first Family Envelope today. Please make sure you return the envelope back to school the following day.
  • Choicelunch is not available on minimum days (12pm dismissal). If your child is going to Kids Konnection on a minimum day please send them with a lunch.
Schoology
Schoology is a Learning Management System used as a communication tool for students and parents with teachers and school staff. Teachers may post grades, class assignments, upcoming quizzes, bulletins, resource documents and links, and other class-specific information. Room parents and school will post reminders and new info. This is the primary mode of communication between school and home.
  • Directions on how to create a Schoology Account and Parent Access Codes for all new to the school (students who did not attend SIS last school year) students' parents were provided at the TK/K meet and greet yesterday or were sent home in the Wednesday Envelope earlier today.  
  • Parents of returning students, please click here to review how to join a group, to view the group options and their corresponding join codes.
  • The Parent Access Codes can be used by both parents/guardians, nannies, grandparents, whoever the parent would like to have access to their student's account in Schoology.
  • All students in Grades 5-8 students will receive their own student Schoology account.  New students will receive their email address from their teacher on the first day/s of school.  
  • If only one parent of a returning student created a Schoology account last year and a 2nd parent would like to now sign up, please have them contact me @ mdurkee@stisidore.org
  • ALL school communication to parents, from teachers and room parents, will be done via updates in the teacher parent group, ie: Gr. 8 - Carter Parent Group 19/20.  Remember each update can be received via notification on mobile devices and/or via email. Please remember to set your notification preferences.
  • Parents who are a staff member or have another child at a school who uses Schoology are able to link their parent/staff accounts in Schoology. Directions can be found on the above reference directions link.
  • Any issues, questions or concerns, please contact Melissa Durkee, mdurkee@stisidore.org or via the messages option in Schoology.
Picture Day - Wednesday, August 28
Picture Day is Coming! On Wednesday, August 28th students in grades TK-8 will take their school photo. Students are to be in full uniform including a school sweatshirt or sweater.

Lifetouch has requested that photo orders be placed prior to photo day. Click here to order. SIS photo ID: BY419048Q0
SIS Family Highlight
St. Isidore School loves welcoming new families into our community! We are thrilled to have over 40 new families starting school this year. If you see a new face on campus, please take a moment to introduce yourself.

Welcome Finan Family! The Finan Family moved from Kansas City to Danville four years ago. Stella will be starting 1st grade (Miss Devine) and Peighton will be starting 3rd grade (Mrs. Goetze). Coming from Kansas City the Finans are huge Chiefs fans and you can find them on football Sunday cheering on the Chiefs in matching Patrick Mahomes jerseys. They are excited to join the SIS Family.
Random Acts of Kindness
Random acts of kindness are deliberate attempts to brighten another person's day by doing something thoughtful, nice, and caring. Go out and spread kindness SIS. Please let the office know if you do or witness a RAOK.
Stepping in to lend a helping hand makes the world a better place!
5th grader Cian Deviney was spotted over the summer doing a RAOK. Cian jumped in to help bag groceries when he noticed the line of people waiting to check out. Good job Cian!
Did you know?
We have created a Shutterfly Shares account for each grade, ie: 8th Grade is SIS Class of 2020. The purpose of the accounts is for parents/guardians to upload/download/share pictures of anything and everything that happens in the student's grade, in one place, as the years pass. You must be invited by the administrator ( yearbook@stisidore.org ) in order to have access to the account and must be a current parent/guardian/staff member. Please sign up here , if you would like to be invited/have access please make sure you input your email address in the comment field. Any questions, please contact Melissa Durkee, mdurkee@stisidore.org
Kindergarten Schedule
In an effort to help the Kindergarten students adjust to a full day at school there will be an altered schedule during the month of August. Please see schedule below.
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Aug. 14th - 16th: 12pm dismissal
Aug. 19 - 23rd: 1:50pm dismissal
Monday, Aug. 26th: 1:50pm dismissal
Aug. 27th - 29th: 2:50pm dismissal
Friday, Aug. 30th: 12pm dismissal
Choicelunch
Choicelunch Volunteers Needed: Choicelunch is in need of volunteers to help serve lunches, shifts are 10:30am - 1:00pm . Openings are available for weekly or every other week shifts. PEP hours are not given for serving lunches however volunteers are compensated with Choicelunch credit. Please contact Shawn Condon if you are interested in helping: shawnkathleen@yahoo.com
St. Isidore CYO Basketball
Time to register for CYO! Registration for the 2019-20 CYO basketball season is open. Click here for further information on registration.

ďťżRegistration is online only, Click here to register. Fee is $350 per player.
St. Isidore School students can obtain a discount of $100 per player by entering the discount code at time of registration: SIS2019
Challenge Success
Top Ten Back-to-School Tips to Help Your Child Thrive
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  1. Ask your child: “How was your day? Learn anything interesting? Get to spend time with friends?” instead of “How did you do on the math test?”
  2. Resist the urge to correct the errors in your child’s homework. It’s your child’s work, not yours. 
  3. Work done with integrity is more important than an A. Pressure to achieve only high grades can make students resort to cheating.
  4. Make time for PDF: playtime, downtime, family time. Research shows PDF is critical for overall well-being.
  5. Create a technology-free environment during mealtimes. Every adult and child can benefit from a break from constant interruptions and distractions.
  6. Collaborate with your child’s teachers. Assume best intentions and work together to solve problems.
  7. Fight the temptation to bring your child’s forgotten homework to school. Kids gain resilience by learning from small failures.
  8. An extra hour of sleep is more valuable than an extra hour of studying. Research shows sleep deprivation can be associated with depression and anxiety. 
  9. When your child wants to talk with you, stop what you are doing and engage. Does “I hate school” really mean something else: â€œI am being bullied” or “I don’t fit in?” 
  10. Help your child develop his or her interests and strengths. Discover what your child really loves to do outside of school, not what you think a college admissions officer would like to see on an application.
Scrip
Scrip News... Click here to order!
Welcome back St. Isidore School and a BIG WELCOME to our new families! 

The Scrip Team is back from summer vacation and ready to hit the ground running! This Thursday, August 15th is the first Scrip Thursday for this school year. For all our new families, Scrip is a no-selling approach to fundraising that allows families to earn funds for our school by using gift cards to pay for their everyday shopping. Purchasing SCRIP can simplify your gift giving, help with planning your shopping budget, ensure that you have gas for all the drivers in your home, save for a fun vacation or home project, and is within reach of everyone. 

Check out the latest green Scrip Form in your Family Envelope today! We had a few changes over the summer. Whole Foods is no longer participating in the Scrip Program but you can still buy Amazon cards for your Amazon Prime accounts to fulfill your Whole Foods shopping needs. Also, Starbucks is now available in $50 denominations. 

We do ask all families to purchase SCRIP on a regular basis with a reasonable goal of $300.00 per month. There is plenty to choose from so you won’t be at a loss for what to select. From Safeway, to Lunardi’s, Chevron to Arco, Peet’s to Starbucks, Domenico’s, to Chipotle, Cinemark to Regal, Amazon to Target, there is so much to shop from.

Here’s to a wonderful new school year and another year of Shopping with Scrip!
Volunteer Opportunitiesďťż- Week A
  • The Newcomers Committee are still in need of sponsor families. Email Alida Beilke if interested at ajboscacci@yahoo.com.

  • The office is looking for help stuffing and unstuffing family envelopes. Click here to volunteer.

  • Picture Day Helpers Needed! Picture day is Wednesday, August 28th. Please email phawke@stisidore.org if you are able to help.

  • Lunchroom volunteers needed. Click here to volunteer.
School Sponsorships
DIAMOND
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GOLD
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BRONZE
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COPPER
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IN KIND
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