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!

Installation of Archbishop Grob:

There is growing excitement across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for Archbishop Grob’s installation as the twelfth Archbishop of Milwaukee on Tuesday, January 14th.  This unique event presents a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with the rich history and traditions of our Church.  Our classes will be learning about Archbishop Grob and the Installation ceremony in the next couple of weeks.  Please use the link below to access valuable resources to learn more about our new Archbishop and the installation ceremony.  There is a link to watch the ceremony live on our parish website.

Resource Guide for the Installation of Archbishop Grob

From the Parish Business Office:

Parents, please watch your email for a calendar-year tuition statement for your 2024 tax filing purposes.  This statement will also include the St. Gabriel Parish Federal ID Number required for tax filing purposes.  Please print and save this statement for your records.

Mid-Year Survey: We Valued Your Feedback!

Thank you to all of our families who completed our mid-year survey.  Your feedback is incredibly important to us as we strive to continuously improve our school programs and create the best learning environment and experience for all our students and their families.

We are truly grateful that you have entrusted us with your child(ren)'s education and look forward to continuing this journey together. Thank you for being an essential part of our school community!

Where is the Blessed Mother this week?

Click this link to view some NEW images of where families have prayed with Blessed Mother in their homes. You can upload your picture here.

What's Your WHY?:

We’d love to refresh our testimonials as part of our marketing efforts. Share your story with us! Click this link to briefly tell us why you choose St. Gabriel for your child/ren's education. Thanks so much to those of you who have supported this effort.

Yearbook Order Form Now Available:

Simply click HERE to order your child/ren's yearbook.

After School Care:

January is going by really fast!!!  Please remember to sign up for after-school care for February.  We need time to plan accordingly to have adequate staffing.

Cold and Flu Season is Upon Us:

We are doing all we can to prevent the spread of germs here at school but ‘tis the season. Please help us prevent the spread of colds and the flu bug in our school. If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home. A student should not be in school if they need medicine to make it through the day.  

Reminder: Students should be fever-free (without medication) and have no instances of vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school after an illness. If they are experiencing discomfort (headaches, persistent cough, sneezing, etc.) they should stay home. Please contact the school office, as soon as possible, whenever your child will be absent. If your child sees a physician for their illness, please remember to request a medical excuse for their absence from school. This should be turned in to the office upon their return.

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

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:

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:

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, and 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 a.m. 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.

Box Tops:

From July 1, 2024 - present we have raised $160.10 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 Opportunites to Make a Difference at St. Gabriel:

• Help make our school shine during our annual Open House Showcase and Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, January 26.
• Help with the annual St. Gabriel Parish and School Dinner Auction.
• Set up on Friday, February 28
• Assist the Decorations Committee by donating 15" x 16" boxes/making dice. Keep scrolling for more info.
• A couple of planning positions are still open
• You can attend and help on auction night, March 1
• Sell Grand Raffle tickets after weekend Masses
• Donate and/or bake for the Famous Dessert Dash
• Help in the library on Wednesdays (the 2025 schedule is available here)
• 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...

1/10 - Deadline to sign up for Ski Club - keep scrolling for more information

1/17 - End of Trimester

1/20 - Inservice Day - No School

1/26 - Open House Showcase & Pancake Breakfast - Volunteers NEEDED

plus 2025/26 school registration begins

1/27-1/31 - Catholic Schools Week

1/28 - Safe Guarding Training at 6:00 p.m. - keep scrolling for more information

2/7 - Inservice Day - No School

2/14 - Deadline to order a yearbook

3/1 - Annual Parish and School Auction - Volunteers NEEDED - keep scrolling for more information

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 and check out what's happening in the classrooms!!

Open House Showcase & Pancake Breakfast

Please contact Nikki Packee at nikki.packee@stgabrielhubertus.org with any questions.

Fundraising & Development by Connie Helm

So far, this year’s fundraisers have been an incredible success! Thanks to your generosity and support, we have met or exceeded our budgeted goals for each fundraiser to date. These successes play a key role in helping us determine whether additional fundraisers will be needed later in the school year.

Our largest fundraiser is fast approaching, and many people are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make it a success. The auction will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

Remember, the auction provides over 60% of our annual fundraising goal.

If we want to reduce the number of fundraisers for the remainder of this year, the auction will need to generate nearly 75% of the funds required to meet our budget, which would be $142,000.

2025 AUCTION NEWS

🎉RSVP TODAY!!!🎉

Get Your Raises In & Bid On!

It's time to 🎲roll the dice🎲and party like high rollers at “Casino Night” during the 22nd St. Gabriel Parish and School Auction.



We have several exciting ticket options this year including...

• AN AFTER-PARTY with real Vegas-style cards and roulette games
• EARLY BIRD PRICING
• A SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE FIRST 40 PEOPLE WHO RSVP
• Champagne Reception
• VIP Parking - Arrive early at 5 p.m. to avoid the lines

Would you like a free ticket to the event?

Do you know how to take good pictures and capture fun moments?

Do you have a great camera?

If you answered YES to any of these questions,

please Contact Connie

IN THE CLASSROOMS

4K

Our 4K classroom was moving and shaking while learning about the letter S! 🐍✏️ Students were engaging their bodies and minds through fun activities like slithering like snakes and making S words by sliding their feet!! 🎉 📸 Check out these adorable moments as we make learning active and exciting! 💛

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Our middle school students celebrated Epiphany with a special treat on Monday— A King Cake! 👑 This delicious tradition symbolizes the journey of the Three Wise Men who followed the star to find Baby Jesus. ⭐ Hidden inside the cake is a small token (we used beans), representing the search for Christ. The lucky person(s) who finds it has good luck for the year! We had two students find the special lucky beans.

💜💛💚

It’s a sweet way to learn about our rich faith and history.

Faith and learning come together in every classroom at St. Gabriel.

This IS Catholic Education!

We are hosting a safe environment session at St. Gabriel on Tuesday, January 28 at 6:00 pm in the Parish Hall.

The Safeguarding All of God's Family program is:

• Designed to protect our children and all members of the church family from all forms of abuse and neglect.
• Educates participants on how to recognize the signs of abuse or neglect and the appropriate steps to report them.
• Strengthens our commitment to safeguarding the well-being of all our children.

This is not just about making sure that you are safe to work with our children, but also to help you know the signs of abuse or neglect in other children.

Full completion of the safeguarding program requires you to:

• Register online and complete a self-paced online learning module (takes about 30 minutes),
• Attend an in-person safe environment training session,
• Pass a criminal background check (not a credit check), and
• Sign the code of ethical standards.

Your initial training and certification will be valid for five years. The in-person training only needs to be completed once. For renewal, the process can be completed entirely online, with only certain modules (like the background check) requiring repetition. A reminder email will be sent to you when it’s time to renew!

Please contact, Pastoral Secretary, Jill Sheehan in the parish office at 262-628-1141 or email here.

Updates coming soon.

PARISH NEWS

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

Email Lea if your Middle Student would like to attend.

Thanks for reading to the end!

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