March 4, 2021 - News & Notes
From The Desk Of Principal Kerr
Happy March 4th, the date that is also a command! In this second full week of Lent, we began celebrating the sacrament of Reconciliation with grades 3, 4 and 7 attending today and grades 5, 6, and 8 next Thursday along with 2nd graders who have just joined in the celebration in preparation for their First Holy Communion in May! Many thanks to Fr. Tom and the visiting priests who make this sacrament available to our kids. We all need a little extra Grace this year!

The school Mass this week was led by our 1st graders, and they received kudos from Fr. Tom for their excellent reading skills. They are looking and sounding prepared for second grade already!

We recently posted a position for a classroom assistant to work with kindergarten and first grade. We could use an extra set of hands to help our young Blues stay on task, get extra help if they are struggling, or extra challenge if they need it. The posting is listed on the Archdiocesan website and on EdPost. Please spread the word if you know anyone who would be a good fit for this position, and help our littles have a strong finish to the school year.

Our 8th grade Robotics team finished their season with a great showing in a tournament that pitted them against high school teams. Coach Klein reported that the kids showed great teamwork in a challenging field of competitors, and had a score 3 times higher than their previous tournament. Our 8th grade girls basketball team finished first in their state tournament last weekend, winning all three games, so kudos all around to 8th grade--Way to go Blues!

This weekend I will be attending the Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses to thank the parishioners of St. Michael for their support this year. Last summer we began planning for an in-person school year, unsure of how it would pan out. With the support of the parish: financially, from volunteers, and the work of the parish staff alongside school staff, we have succeeded even beyond our hopes. 

March forth everyone, God bless and go Blues, go Gophers!

Mrs. Kerr
PTO Meeting Tonight!

Virtual PTO Meeting
TONIGHT
Thursday, March 4
at 6:30pm


Join us via Google Meet!
Ski Club 2021!
Saint Michael’s Ski Club has wrapped up for 2021! Thank you to our Ski Club members for a great season! A sincere thank you to our volunteers who made this happen and a special thanks to Nok Chim. 
Decision Tree
Quarantining is staying home and away from others because you may have been exposed to the COVID-19 virus. Isolating is completely avoiding close contact with others because you have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Please see the decision tree above, but these are important questions to determine close contact with COVID-19:

Were you exposed to COVID because you live with someone who has COVID? 
Yes: Quarantine for 14 days (with COVID positive individual isolating)

If you were exposed outside your household ask:
Will you test after 5 days?
If yes, return with negative result and no symptoms on day 8.
If no, return after 10 days if no symptoms develop.
COVID-19 Testing for Kids and Families

MDH announced a recommendation for all school-age youth returning to school, youth sports, or extracurricular activities, 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.
Wednesday Early Release Days

Wednesday Early Dismissal Care & Homework Time - April 2021

Please let us know if your child(ren) will need Wednesday Early Dismissal Care (12:15 - 2:15) in April by completing this form as soon as possible, and no later than Friday March 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.

Order Yearbooks Now!
It's time to order a yearbook for your St. Michael Catholic School student. Yearbooks are distributed to students at the end of the school year. Don't miss out!
Order before March 19, 2021

Yearbook ID code: 12368121
Lunch and Recess Volunteers Needed!
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.
Session for Parents:
Helping your Struggling Learner

 When our children struggle in school, it is hard to know when to be firm and when to be flexible. Should we intervene early and structure the environment for success or should we view learning as developmental and expect all of our children to advance at different speeds? Should we give our kids consequences for poor grades or can we “pay” them to get A’s? How do we know when poor school achievement is something more serious than low motivation? In this session you will learn research-based strategies for helping struggling learners no matter the cause of the struggle. You will also learn signs of more serious learning issues and how to help your child thrive in school. Use the link below to register for one of the web sessions.
 
March 10, 7:00 pm
March 22, 7:00 pm
 
School Office: (952) 447-2124
24/7 Absentee Line: (952) 447-2230