THE FRIDAY REVIEW

St. Rose School

December 3, 2021

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

-Matthew 23:35

Greetings from Mr. G

What an exciting week it has been in our halls! We raised $31,275.85 in our 24 hour #Giving Tuesday challenge. This is an incredible accomplishment which shows how much St. Rose School is beloved by past, present and future families as well as our parish and greater community. As you know, fundraising is a critical aspect of our annual budget so successes like these are very significant as we work toward our $150,000 goal. Hats off to all who made this possible. Thank you for sharing the word!

We returned from Thanksgiving to the start of Advent and all the trimmings that are part of the Christmas season. In addition to all of the pretty artwork and decorations, this week we enjoyed a delightful performance by Mrs. Mitchell's Theater Club. Their collaboration in writing, producing and performing, A Storybook Christmas, was remarkable. When God gives us special talents it is our gift back to him when we use them to bring joy to others. Bravo to Mrs. Mitchell and her incredible cast!

While we have had some nice weather this week we know that Winter has arrived. Please be sure that students come to school with appropriate warm outer wear. In the event of a snow day there is a new procedure in place that Mrs. B shared in this week's Adventures in Student Life. It is also highlighted in the Snow Day FYI box below. Please take note.

In other housekeeping notes:

* School Finances -- As I mentioned during the November 11th State of the School address Bishop Caggiano has asked every school to post a Financial Update on their website December 5th. We will be doing this and alerting you by email this Sunday which will provide a link to the St. Rose School 202-2021 Financial Update.

*School Safety -- We have been discussing and practicing safety protocols at school. It's important for students to be knowledgeable about the processes involved and comfortable in executing them. We would appreciate your help in reinforcing these measures at home.

*Car drop off and pick up -- at this time of the year it's always good to review our car drop off and pick up procedures. Lately there seems to be some confusion particularly in regard to car traffic in the visitor lot during bus dismissal. Safety during this time is of paramount importance. Please take some time to review our Car Walk Procedures and the Car Walk map. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the school. Thank you.

Next Wednesday, December 8th, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which means that school is closed. Thursday December 16th is our Christmas concert (see information below) in the church; on Wednesday December 22 we will celebrate Christmas Mass at 9:00 a.m.. This is a DRESS UP day and full day of school. Thursday December 23rd is Buddy Christmas Bingo and early dismissal at 11:30 a.m.

It's a wonderful time of the year. May the light of Advent bring peace to your families and the festivities of the season fill your hearts with hope.

Have a fun weekend!

God Bless,

Mr. G

Important Dates & Reminders

December 5th -- School Financial Update posted on website

December 16th -- Christmas Concert in the Church

December 22nd -- Christmas Mass, Dress Up day, full day of School

December 23rd -- Buddy Bingo, Early dismissal, 11:30 a.m.

Adventures in Student Life

Classroom News

Children's Nativity Christmas Eve

Children's Monthly Rosary

Holiday Lights, Newtown Chamber of Commerce December 11/12 @ Fairifield Hills

HSA NEWS

Dear SRS Community,

Tis’ the season for all things “S”...SRS, Santa, shopping and SCRIP cards! Let the SRS SCRIP Christmas Wishlist program make things easier this holiday season with one stop shopping!  Order from over 800 retailers in a variety of denominations. You receive the FULL FACE VALUE of the gift cards,  and SRS will receive rebates from the retailers. Use them for your holiday shopping OR give them away as gifts.  

SCRIP is a dollar for dollar exchange. Simply put - you buy a gift card to a SCRIP retailer and use it to pay for  gifts or give them away as presents. SCRIP retailers then give rebates to the school. 

There are several options for ordering: 

1) Email a completed order form, questions or a list of desired cards to [email protected] by 11.26 for  delivery on 12.3; 12.3 for delivery on 12.10; or 12.10 for delivery on 12.17. If a retailer is not on the  form, but available at the link above, simply request it. 

2) Pay via the RaiseRight app (www.raiseright.com) or login to your account at https://shop.shopwithscrip.com/. The SRS enrollment code is 17483LD69533. You can also send  a check to school made payable to SRS HSA. 

Below are some gift card suggestions organized by recipient to get you started. . . 

Gifts for Her: You’re sure to find something special for her at Sephora ($25) or ULTA ($25). Find clothes,  accessories, and housewares at Kohl’s ($25/$100) or some stylish athleisure at Athleta ($25/$100). Shop Macys  ($25/$100) for her favorite perfume. Pamper her with a cup of coffee from Starbucks ($5/$10/$25/$50) or help  her create a one-of-a-kind keepsake at Shutterfly ($25).

Gifts for Him: Home Depot ($10/$25/$100/$500/$1,000) or Lowe’s ($20/$25/$100/$500/$1,000) has  everything he needs to get started on his fix-it-list. LL Bean ($25/$100) has just the shirt to keep him looking  sharp! If books or music are his thing, check out Barnes and Noble ($5/$10/$25/$100) or Apple ($15/$25).  Finally, don’t forget Best Buy ($25/$100/$250).  

Teacher Gifts: The holidays are a great time to show appreciation for our teachers. Popular favorites include: Amazon ($10/$25/$100), Dunkin Donuts ($10/$25), and Marshall’s ($25/$100)! 

Click here to read more

Scrip Christmas order form

BLOOMS FUND

#Giving Tuesday was a BIG success! Every gift makes a difference. Please remember to ask about corporate match programs. These can apply to #Giving Tuesday donations! Thank you to all of our supporters!

$10,000 Tuition Raffle -- we are ALMOST at 100 sales. This means we can cover the cost of the prize and move on to the fundraising. We are counting on everyone in our school community to help sell tickets. If every family can sell 2 tickets we'd meet our maximum number -- 350! Please put the word out to friends, family and neighbors. The beauty of this raffle is that winnings can be applied to ANY K-12 school, college or university accredited in the United States. It can also be used to pay back student loans. Raffle trackers will be placed in each classroom next week. Let's work together to reach 350! Tickets can be purchased by calling the school office weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., 203-426-5102, Friday masses, masses the weekends of December 11/12, January 15/16, January 22/23. Email [email protected] with questions or to arrange a sale.

Click here for quick video

Bricks Make Great Gifts! The St. Rose Blooms Brick Walk is waiting for your family footprint -- help us pave the way to many bright futures and give a lasting gift. The Brick Walk will be by the Angel of Hope statue in front of the school. The first order has arrived and is awaiting installation. The website is open -- get a mock up of your brick in print to frame for a Christmas or birthday gift! Welcome to St. Rose of Lima School Website (polarengraving.com)

SNOW DAY FYI'S

Winter weather will bring interruptions in the upcoming weeks and months. As you know we have opted for eLearning days over snow/inclement weather or other emergency closing situations.

Teachers will contact you between 8:30-9:00am to let you know the plan for the day. Dismissal from eLearning will be between 12:30-1:00pm, depending on start time. We realize that these days can be tricky to maneuver, especially if you have more than one child needing to use devices. Based on this, teachers are working on plans that will include mini lessons, hands-on activities, independent paper and pencil work, and limited use of Edmentum, IXL, and online work.

We will do everything we can to reduce the need to print out PDFs or to take screenshots of completed work. Based on this we are making a recommendation that you have the following stored somewhere for use on these days. Blank paper, lined paper(grade appropriate, if possible), pencil, pen, coloring items, scissors, glue stick, and a small dry erase board (Dollar Tree has several options), dry erase marker, and something to use as an eraser (an old, lone sock; a small cotton makeup pa, etc.). These will allow great flexibility for the lessons and reduce a day of screen time, and printing. We hope that these days are few and far between; but, we are getting ready for whatever comes our way! Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. B with any questions.

NURSE NEWS

New District Guidelines for Covid Exposure in Schools

Updated Travel Advisory

Covid vaccination sites around the state

Cold, Allergies or the Flu?

Covid Symptom Reminder

Pediatric Covid Clinic December 9th

Adult Booster Clinic December 17th

CHRISTMAS CONCERT IS COMING!

We are extremely excited for our K-8th Grade Christmas concert on December 16th -- it will be a delightful evening to celebrate the season, in song and performances, together as a community! Here is the attire that evening:

• Kindergartners, First and Fourth Graders will be dressed in costume, these will be provided by the school, prior to the performance.
• Second and Third Graders should be dressed in festive holiday attire.
• Fifth-Eighth Grade Boys should wear black pants and either a red, green, or white dress shirt.
• Fifth-Eighth Grade Girls may wear, either black pants or skirt (short skirts should be proper length) with either a red, green, or white blouse. Girls may also choose to wear a holiday dress.

We look forward to sharing this uplifting experience with you -- how wonderful it will be to hear and watch our students singing and performing again!

The concert will also be available via Livestream,

PRESCHOOL CORNER

Creating creches and hanging stockings has put Preschoolers in the Advent/Christmas spirit this week. In their shining eyes we see the heart of Baby Jesus.

Please join us for a HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS PARTY! Wednesday December 22nd, 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. in the Gathering Hall. Our 3, 4 and Transitional Kindergarten students will sing some songs and enjoy a cupcake treat together in the spirit of Christmas.

Important regarding Absences, Tardies, and Early Pick-ups

Please email your Preschool teacher by 8:30 a.m. if your child will be absent, tardy, or picked up early. If there is a change to your pick-up plan during the day, please contact the school secretary who will relay the information to the Preschool teachers. All illness related absences must be reported to the teacher, nurse ([email protected]) and secretary ([email protected]).



Preschool students should be in the Drop Off Line at 8:45 a.m. Late arrivals are disruptive to the Preschool's morning routine.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

God Bless.

www.stroseschool/preschool