April 1, 2021 - News & Notes |
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From The Desk Of Principal Kerr |
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A few updates for April 1st:
- Construction will begin tomorrow on our new rooftop waterpark complete with water slides that will deliver riders directly to the playground.
- Building equipment began to arrive today, so you will be able to watch the progress over Easter break. This project was approved by our SAC, and funded by Fr. Tom’s garage sale last fall. We will auction off the chance to take the first ride down the waterslide, so watch for your chance to bid!
- We have updated our lunch program after one parent had a concern that the children were not eating enough liver. Every Wednesday we will introduce a new “liver surprise” recipe. In order to build stamina for eating liver, no other food or milk will be served on those days.
- As a reward for great bus behavior, the children on route 23 will take turns driving the bus for the next few weeks. The driver will be nearby in case the children need help navigating. That route may be arriving a bit off schedule, so please be prepared.
- Teachers will be accepting suggestions for how to grade the children on 3rd quarter report cards. For a nominal fee you can choose the grade for your child, and for an additional donation, you may choose a grade for a child from another household.
- Finally, happy April Fool’s Day!
On a more serious note, we are so blessed to have made it to Easter break together, open every day for in-person learning, with a few pockets of distance learning as necessary. Thank you for working with us to keep everyone safe and together. Our mitigation strategies have been successful, and we have had only one case of a close contact at school testing positive for COVID. When we return from our Easter break, with many people returning from travels, we will need to be extra vigilant to keep our school open through June 4th. Even though it feels like the end of the school year is almost here, we have 8 weeks left after Easter.
There actually will be work happening on campus starting tomorrow. A new roof will be going on school building B, followed by the parish office and parts of the church. This is a huge project and another great example of the generous support we receive from St. Michael parishioners. The project is being financed with Vision 2020 funds and parish reserves set aside for capital improvements. Our St. Michael parish has strong leadership in the business office and valued insight from the active parish finance council. The ministries of the parish, including our fine school benefit from their stewardship and forward thinking. Deferred maintenance has landed many schools and parishes in deep trouble, and we are so thankful that is not the case here!
Our Lenten service projects were quite successful, thank you for your generosity! The middle schoolers brought in 55 outfits for Pregnancy Choices, Grades 3-5 brought in $270 for dollars for diapers, and Preschool-second grade brought in $436.06 for cents for socks. Way to go St. Mike's!
God bless your families as the season of Lent comes to an end and we enter the Triduum after sundown tonight. Enjoy your Easter break, and safe travels to everyone heading out of town. As always go Blues and go Gophers!
Mrs. Kerr
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Honoring our Grandparents and Special Persons! |
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Our St. Michael Blues feel so blessed to have amazing grandparents who are there for them celebrating holidays, birthdays and other family traditions, cheering them on in their activities, sharing hobbies, telling stories and giving hugs! We couldn’t honor our grandparents and special friends in person this year, but we want you to know you are loved and missed. We can’t wait to host you here in person next year! Have a blessed Easter season.
Here is a link to our virtual Grandparents Day video:
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Spring Picture Day is Coming! |
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REMINDER: Spring picture day is scheduled for Tuesday, April 13, 2021.
These photographs will be taken with students OUT OF UNIFORM.
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Wednesday Early Release Days
Wednesday Early Dismissal Care & Homework Time - May 2021
Please let us know if your child(ren) will need Wednesday Early Dismissal Care (12:15 - 2:15) in May by completing this form as soon as possible, and no later than Thursday, April 15, 2021. We are offering this for families who do not have other options available for Wednesday afternoons. If you are able to have your child come home at 12:15, please do so, as the teachers are finding the Wednesday afternoon planning especially necessary this year.
If you are picking up your child before 2:15, we ask that you call the office so that one of our staff members can bring your child safely to their car line pickup zone.
In order to ensure proper staffing and the safety of all students we request no late enrollment.
Please complete one form per student.
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PLEASE JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21st! |
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St. Mike's PTO is partnering with Ze's diner in Prior Lake on Wednesday, April 21 from noon until close. Any sales for St. Mike's will be totaled and we will receive a percentage back for the school.
Any families ordering or dining in just need to mention St. Mike's when ordering.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
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SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL OPEN POSITIONS |
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School Advisory Council (SAC) is looking to fill 2-3 open positions for the ’21-’22 school year. Applicants do need to have child(ren) currently enrolled at the school and be a practicing Catholic. Please fill out the attached application by April 30, 2021. |
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Father John Deere Council Catholic High School Scholarship
The Knights of Columbus, Father John Deere Council 4914, is offering a total of (4) scholarships to students who will be entering 9th grade at a Catholic high school. The value of each scholarship is $250.00. You must apply no later than May 3rd, 2021.
Your application, typed on an 8.5 x 11 sheet will include your name, address, the school that you graduated from, the school you will be attending and an essay of 500 words or less on “How will I express my love for Jesus throughout my high school career”. The application is to be mailed to: Thomas Esterl, 9233 W 123rd St., Savage, MN 55378.
Scholarships will be awarded on May 21st, 2021. The checks will be presented to you and will be made out to the school that you will attend.
Thank you in advance for applying.
Thomas Esterl
Knights of Columbus
Father John Deere Council 4914
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It's Time to Order School Supplies for 2021-22!
Orders placed by June 10, 2021 will ship directly to school FREE and arrive before school starts in September. Supply kits can be customized by removing items or adding additional supplies as needed.
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Register for Summer Adventures Plus 2021
Our program is open to kindergarten through eighth
grade for our entire community.
Summer Adventures Plus (SAP)
Hours of Operation
Monday through Friday 8:00 am-4:00 pm
SAP reserves the right to close due to lack of enrollment.
SAP will be open June 14-August 20
PLEASE NOTE: SAP will be closed the week of July 5-July 9 for routine building maintenance.
Fees
Registration Fee – $60 per child
Session Fee – $50
All fees will be billed via TADS Billing Management
Why choose our program?
Each week a new theme will be introduced. The following special events and activities will tie in with each weekly theme.
-Community service project
-Spiritual theme and bible verse
-Virtual or in-person field trips
For more information please see the Summer Adventures Plus Handbook or visit the school website. Please direct questions to Julie Herbst at [email protected] or 612-619-7484.
St. Michael Catholic School’s Summer Adventures Plus is waiting for new decisions or announcements from the Governor’s office to help guide our 2021 summer plans. Guidance around social distancing, group size and venue availability will be critical for our decision-making regarding the structure of our summer offerings. We appreciate your understanding and patience. Updates will be posted as soon as more information is available about the program.
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Don't let learning stop over the summer!
- Summer tutoring provides an opportunity to review difficult material.
- Working with a tutor during the summer helps students retain past content for a smooth transition into the following academic year.
Teachers are available to provide summer tutoring to students. Please email them directly for more information or to schedule tutoring.
Mrs. Kelley DeGross, K-5 Math and Reading (Orton-Gillingham trained), [email protected]
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Lunch and Recess Volunteers Needed! |
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We still have many empty spots to fill; your help is appreciated!
- Lunchroom and kitchen every day from 10:30am - 12:45pm. If you are available midday, please sign up using the Sign-Up Genius button below.
- Recess from 11:10am - 1:10. Please use the Sign-up Genius button below.
All volunteers must be up to date on Virtus training.
Please visit virtusonline.org to log in or to create an account and complete the required steps to be a volunteer.
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COVID-19 Testing for Kids and Families
The MDH announced a recommendation for all youth attending school in-person, and their families to get tested every two weeks through the end of the school year. While it is not a requirement, regular testing complements other safety measures already in place, such as masking and social distancing.
Getting tested every two weeks from now until the end of the school year can help keep schools open and sports operating, and ensure we are limiting the spread of COVID-19.
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Routine COVID-19 Saliva Testing
St. Michael Catholic School’s next testing day is scheduled for Thursday, April 15. Because you can not eat or drink 30 minutes prior to testing we recommend that your child/ren test in the evening of Wednesday, April 14 and drop it off in the nurse's office on Thursday morning when they come to school. Do not hesitate to contact Julie Herbst and Hayley Kulstad with questions.
Student COVID-19 Testing Procedures
At Governor Walz’s direction, MDE is removing yet another barrier to testing: the UPS drop box. While some kids live down the street from a drop box, it’s quite a haul for others.Students are now able to send their Vault-at-Home tests back to the lab through St. Michael.
How this works:
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Students or families order tests through the Vault-at-Home program (remember tests are no cost to Minnesota residents).
- Students complete their test at home.
- Students seal their sample tube and place it in the biohazard bag. The biohazard bag then gets sealed in the shipping bag that came with the test. The shipping label sticker is attached to the bag.
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Students bring their sealed shipping bag with the shipping label to school on your designated onsite testing day (every other Thursday).
- Students will test on the same schedule as staff every other week. Our next scheduled staff testing day at St. Mike’s is Thursday, April 15.
- Students will need to have a Vault-at-Home kit on hand at home to complete and bring to school on staff testing day.
- Once students receive notice that their sample is being processed at the lab, they can order another Vault-at-Home kit for the next screening day.
- Students will not have to quarantine unless they are experiencing symptoms or have been named a close contact.
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Mindful Parenting for Resilience
In this session we will dive deeper into specific parenting techniques that build resilience in our children and in ourselves. We will also talk about some common parenting practices that can accidentally make our children emotionally weak. The effects of COVID on our children’s mental health will also be discussed. You will leave with straight-forward practices to bolster your children’s resilience and your own coping.
April 12th at 7:00pm
April 27th at 7:00pm
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School Office: (952) 447-2124
Fax: (952) 447-2132
24/7 Absentee Line: (952) 447-2230
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