St. Isidore School Newsletter😁

February 12, 2020 - Anchored in His Love

Love - St. Monica & St. Teresa of Avila

Dear St. Isidore School Families,

“Let all you do be done with love” – Corinthians 16:14

Happy Valentine’s Day, St. Isidore School! On Friday, we will celebrate a day themed around LOVE. What a wonderful thing to celebrate. LOVE , the greatest of God’s gifts, seems in abundance this month. Focusing on the Gospel Value of LOVE , honoring RAOK week and the 3rd-grade Grandparents Day event gives us an opportunity to show those around us how much they mean to us. I want you to know how much you mean to me! Thank you for all the LOVE and support you continue to show St. Isidore School. You truly make SIS the place to be. Now go and spread some more LOVE !

School Registration Is Coming

Registration for the 2020–2021 school year will be sent via email to you in March. The registration process will be online, and the associated fee will be per child. If you are not returning for the 2020–2021 school year, please email me at mward@stisidore.org . The budget for the next school year has not yet been set, but we are anticipating a 5% or smaller increase in tuition, and fees will remain the same. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at (925) 837-2977.

Lenten Reflections

Lent is a great time for reflection and prayer. Every year, our 8th-grade students write daily Lenten reflections. These reflections help us prepare for the coming of Easter and enhance our spiritual life. To sign up to receive these reflections, click here . Feel free to forward the link to others who may enjoy them as well. Lenten reflections will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 26.

Parent Information

I am often alerted to dangerous teen trends. As a parent and as an educator, I believe information is power and that it is my responsibility to bring these trends to your attention. Please take a moment to view Teen Esteem’s most recent dangerous trends seen among teens by clicking here .

SIS 2020–2021 Calendar

Believe it or not, planning for the next school year is in full swing. The first day of the 2020–2021 school year will be Tuesday, August 18. It will be a noon dismissal.

Click here to view other important dates tentatively scheduled for the next school year including Christmas and Thanksgiving break.

Due to the Presidents’ Day holiday, we will have a 12:00 pm dismissal on Friday, February 14, and NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 17 . If your child will be going to KK on Friday, please make sure they bring lunch with them. The long weekend feels like a RAOK for students and staff alike. Enjoy the extra time.

God bless,

Maria Ward, Principal

PS. Miss Moore, our art teacher, is looking for help setting up for STEAM night on Thursday, February 13 from 10:00 am – 12:30 pm, and Tuesday, February 18 from 12:30 pm – 2:45 pm. If you are able to help, click here . Thank you for your support!

Important Dates

Friday, February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day! 3rd grade Grandparent's Day! Mass for grades 3,4,5. 12pm dismissal. Kids Konnection is open.
Monday, February 17 - No School in Observance of Presidents' Day.
Thursday, February 20 - STEAM Night from 6-7pm. Click here to RSVP.
Friday, February 21 - Mass for 6,7,8 (led by 6) at 8:10am. 7th grade dance.
Wednesday, February 26 - Ash Wednesday. All school Mass (led by teachers) at 9am.
Friday, February 28 - All school Mass (led by 7) at 8:10am.

Prayers

Please pray for all those who are suffering or in need of our thoughts and prayers, especially Will Pringle and Mrs. Koskowich's sister who are both ill. Please pray for the grandmother of the Chatman Family who is recovering from surgery. Please also pray for the aunt of the Lickiss Family and the father in-law of Mrs. Sue Fernando who recently passed away. May God keep them in His tender, loving care.

Auction News

Auction tickets on sale now, click here to purchase. Make sure to check Monday's auction emails for the latest information.

Congratulations to the Stockslagers! They are the winners of our VIP drawing and will receive a night at the San Ramon Marriott for the evening of 2/29, in addition to their own personal valet for the event.

Live at the Auction! The ever popular VIP Premier Parking spot is back! This reserved spot will be yours March 2nd - next year's Auction, 7am-3pm Monday through Friday!

Valet Parking! Don’t wait in the carpool line for an entire school year! Drive up to the SIS Valet curb in the mornings and drop your kiddos off, and roll up in the afternoon and your kids will be brought to you!

Front Row VIP Experience! No need to arrive an hour before, you’ll have the best seats in the house ready for you! Front row pew at the 3pm Christmas Eve Mass, 4 front row seats at the Spring Concert with parking, and 4 front row seats at the Christmas Concert with parking.

Rule the School as Principal for the Day! The Principal for the Day will get to observe in various classrooms on campus, attend meetings, make announcements on the intercom, lead a portion of the afternoon assembly, and eat lunch with Mrs. Ward and three friends.

New to the Online Auction on February 24th! Reserved parking for the first day of school, Halloween Parade, Sip & Shop, 8th grade graduation Mass, and the last day of school.

Sponsorship

If you are interested in becoming a 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 would like to continue to thank our sponsors who are graciously contributing to our Auction Gala! Make your appointment at Bishop Cut & Color for your fabulous 80’s look! Get your pre-purchased wine from Auburn James to help start the night off right, and get home safely using Mercedes Benz of Pleasanton. There are still sponsorship opportunities for the Gala! Please contact the sponsorship team if you are interested.

2nd Annual STEAM Night

Save the date for the 2nd Annual SIS STEAM Night!

SIS will be holding Family STEAM Night on Thursday, February 20, from 6pm to 7 pm in the Bensen gym! It will be an evening of hands-on science, math, engineering, and art activities for students and families to complete together. Click here to RSVP by Tuesday, February 18th.

To highlight the artistic talents of our students, there will be artwork displayed from each TK - 5th Grade student and current Art Elective students (6th and 8th Grade) which have been created in Miss Moore's art class this year.

Save the Date - Fish Fry

Fish Fry 2020 - Save the date! This year's annual Lenten Fish Fry and Bingo will take place on Friday, March 27, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Look for more details on this family friendly event in the next few weeks.

SIS Family Highlight

Welcome, Arnold Family! The Arnold family moved from Northern Virginia and is thrilled to be a part of the St. Isidore Community. Chad and Melissa have two boys, Jake (15) and Zach (13). They also have two dogs, Max and Oliver. Zach is in Ms. Jaskot's 7th grade class. Chad is an Executive Vice President for Colliers International and Melissa is a Territory Manager for Medtronic Diabetes. In their free time, Chad and Melissa are busy watching Zach play basketball and Jake playing golf. They love skiing in Tahoe, fishing, playing tennis, and meeting new friends.

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.

Happy RAOK Week! It is proven that it actually feels even better to do than to receive an act of kindness, so go and spread the LOVE. Here are some fun ideas to brighten someone's day.

Hold the door open for someone.
Do a chore for someone without them knowing.
Tell a joke.
Return someone’s cart at the store.
Leave a letter in a library book.
Feed the birds.
Leave happy notes around town.
Call your grandparents and ask them about their childhood.
Pick up litter.
Let someone go ahead of you in line.

Science Fair News

SIS loves Science! Congratulations to our Science Fair winners who participated in the CSDO Science Fair last weekend. We are proud to announce that all of our teams placed in their categories and have earned an opportunity to compete at the County Science Fair held at Los Medanos College in March.

7th grade:

1st Place: Allison Bowes and Andrew Wong (Bunch O' Orbeez),

1st Place: Samantha Pera and Kate Ross (Cookie Science)

8th grade:

1st Place: Alex LeCoque (Fog Harp, Solving Water Scarcity)

1st Place: Anna Webster (Caffeine and Plant Growth)

2nd Place: Katie Whitis (The Fluffy Muffin)

Parish News & Notes

Fall Festival 2020! It might seem early, but it’s never too early to plan a party! St. Isidore Parish is looking for a few more folks to help in planning and implementing the 2020 Parish Fall Fest (tentatively Oct. 4th). We are looking for marketing and “idea“ folks. So, if you are new OR old to the parish and want to get more involved, this is a great way to start. Our next meeting is March 4th! Contact Susan Kelly at 5cakellys@gmail.com with questions or even just suggestions. Thanks!!

In celebration of the 110th anniversary of St. Isidore Parish and

Fr. Gerry Moran’s 50th anniversary of ordination next year, the parish is planning to do a monthly event or talk starting August 2020 through July 2021 to enrich our life of faith and build community.

If there is any topic or theme that you think would be of benefit or interest to you, your family, or our community, please email these suggestions to Fr. G at gpedrera@sichurch.com on or before the end of February. Thank you.

Girl Scout News

It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time! The St. Isidore Girl Scout troops in 2nd & 6th grade will be selling cookies after Mass on the weekends of February 15-16th & February 22-23rd. Please support our girls and buy cookies! Donating cookies to the local food bank or military troops is a great option too! Can’t wait for cookies? Contact Melissa at rickmelissa@comcast.com or Susan at 5cakellys@gmail.com.

Common Sense Tip of the Week

Tip of the week: Establish consequences for problematic phone use. If your kids are having trouble putting the phone away when you ask, or are engaging in other problematic phone-related behavior, consider instituting temporary time or location limits. Some wireless carriers offer parental controls that let you set daily phone-use limits, and some apps can disable your kid's phone when he or she hits a limit.

Scrip

Scrip News... Click here to order!

Are you feeling the love? See’s SCRIP will sweeten up your Valentines holiday with a one-pound box of the most loved chocolates. Molasses chips, Bordeaux, Thin Mints, or Nuts and Chews. No matter what you pick, it will be guaranteed to bring a warm smile to anyone’s face. Make sure you are set with gas cards and whatever else you need for the Presidents' weekend. If you are staying local and plan to enjoy the beautiful weather, start off the long weekend with Yogurt Shack SCRIP. Head there after school on Thursday and set your long weekend off to a delicious start.