NEWS AND NOTES
November 6, 2020
A Note from the Principal
-Our Annual Auction is coming up, please see details below about our No Show Auction. Any family that bids on an item can automatically earn a Spirit Dress Day the following school day between November 16th-November 20th!
-As you are aware, Mrs. Peterson will be leaving at the end of December to stay home with her children. We were blessed to have several strong applicants and I am happy to announce that Marquette has hired Stephanie Washington as our new Kindergarten through 4th grade Music teacher. Stephanie received her Bachelor’s of Music degree in vocal performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She went on to continue her studies with acclaimed soprano Carol Vaness at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Stephanie was a recipient of the Barbara and David Jacobs Fellowship at Indiana University and also served as an Associate Instructor of Voice. She was a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions and Semi-Finalist in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor Mccollum Competition. She has participated in apprenticeships with Santa Fe Opera, Tulsa Opera, Central City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Music Academy of the West. Stephanie has appeared as a soloist with the Atlanta Symphony and Southwest Florida Symphony. Ms. Washington also works with Midtown School of Performing Arts and is giving music lessons to several Marquette students after school. Ms. Washington will be working with Mrs. Peterson to transition into our school as we welcome her to our community. Please join me in giving her a warm welcome to our Marquette community.
-Please make sure your child has an extra face mask in their bag.
-Mark your calendars for Make-up Picture Day on November 19th. Please tell your child's teacher that you would like them to participate. Students should wear their school uniforms.
-If you are interested in being a substitute teacher for the RISE program please contact Tara Pickard at tara.pickard@marquetteschool.org
COVID-19 Update:
- Total Confirmed Campus Cases: 5
- Total Active Cases: 0
- Students Actively Quarantined: 4
- Faculty/Staff Actively Quarantined: 0
- Total Recovered and Released: 5
What You Need to Know: Marquette Home and School No-Show Auction
- This year's annual auction will be conducted virtually. It begins on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. and will conclude on Friday, Nov. 20, at 6 p.m.
- The auction is the school's single largest fundraising event.
- The funds raised from this year's auction will be combined with last year's fundraising efforts to renovate the Marquette playground and classrooms.
- In the coming weeks, a master plan will be shared outlining the projects, estimated costs and timeline. Our goal is to begin the renovation of the playground by the end of May 2021.
- Your support of the auction is critical to our success. It is because of you that this school and community continues to thrive.
- How to participate:
- All bids or purchases will be conducted online through BidPal.
- You must register a credit card with BidPal to participate in the online auction. To register, please visit bidpal.net/marquetteauction2020.
- Auction items may be previewed beginning on Monday, Nov. 9.
- Rather than having a live auction, several items will be auctioned off "Dutch style." This means the bidding for the particular item will start at a premium price, then the price will drop once daily for a week until that item sells. The first person who bids on the item wins.
Auction News
Marquette’s No-Show Auction will begin on Friday, November 13th at 6 pm and conclude on Friday, November 20th at 6 pm.
The only way to bid on or purchase auction items is online through BidPal.
You must register a credit card with BidPal to participate in the online auction.
To register online please go to bidpal.net/marquetteauction2020.
Auction items may be previewed beginning on Monday, November 9th.
This year rather than having a live auction, a few of our items will be auctioned off Dutch style. This means the bidding for a particular item will start at a premium price, then that price will drop once daily for a week until that item sells. The first person who bids on the item wins!
This year’s Dutch auction items include:
Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment from Carter & Higgins Orthodontics
An Evening with Bishop Konderla
The ECDC Art Project
Guardian Angel Kindergarten Quilt
Around Tulsa Kindergarten Quilt
A Week Stay at a Beachside Condominium in Santa Rosa, Florida
ECDC Parking Spot
Marquette Parking Spot
Comprehensive Orthodontic Treatment from Griffin Orthodontics
Chris Mantle Artwork
Your child(ren) may have spirit dress each day you place a bid online!!
GOvember!
GOvember is here! We are pleased to share that this year's GO for Chatholic Schools Challenge will take place this November. Contributing through the Tax Credit Scholarship Fund creates a low-cost way for donors to help fund tuition assistance by offering a 75% tax credit for contributions up to $2,000 for a married couple and up to $100,000 for business entities. In addition, qualified businesses are eligible for the federal tax deduction. For every new $1,000 contributor during November, an additional $250 will be added to the Marquette School scholarship funds for the following academic year.
Attend one of the zoom sessions with Principal Luetkemeyer and other Marquette/CTK community members on Nov. 12 at 9 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. to learn more. Thanks to contributions last year, we received $58,000 to help 57 students with demonstrated need cover the cost of tuition, plus two RISE program scholarships for nearly $40,000 for this year alone!
To attend one of the Marquette GO sessions, email Stephanie (sjimison@christthekingcatholic.church) or Lacy (lwulfers@christthekingcatholic.church) and indicate which time you prefer.
Empowering God's Children Lesson to be taught the week of November 9th!
As in past years, we will be presenting the Diocese of Tulsa's program Empowering God's Children. We will also continue coordinating the lessons so that all grades present the program the same week. We have examples in the office of the program and the website is listed below. It is important that you "opt-out" by signing the form (attached at the bottom of this newsletter) if you DO NOT want your child participating. Please see below for more details.
Marquette will present a sexual abuse prevention program, the Teaching Safety – Empowering God’s Children program, to our students the week of November 9th-13th. The creators of the Protecting God’s Children® program developed the Teaching Safety – Empowering God’s Children program. This program is provided to us by the Diocese of Tulsa and is a part of our ongoing effort to help create and maintain a safe environment for children and to protect all children from sexual abuse.
The scheduled lesson is being offered to all students at Marquette. As a parent, you have the right to choose whether your student participates. If you have questions about the program or the lesson, please contact your child’s teacher or administrator. If you determine that you DO NOT want your child to participate, please complete the “opt-out” form at the bottom of this page, and return it to your child’s teacher no later than November 2.
For more information on the Teaching Safety – Empowering God’s Children program, visit the VIRTUS Online™ website at www.virtus.org.
Thanksgiving Food Drive
For over 10 years, Marquette has helped with the Thanksgiving Food Drive sponsored by the Christian Ministers Alliance. Our community has generously provided a huge percentage of the food for the drive for years. We also have been one of the biggest contributors of monetary donations which help to purchases turkeys, hams, chickens, etc.
Additionally, Marquette has proudly provided many of the volunteers to sort and handout the food. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 concerns we will not be able to participate in handing out or organizing the food this year. We will continue to collect food and financial donations, however.
We will have boxes in the school foyer where food items can be dropped from November 16-November 19. The Tulsa Minister's Alliance will pick up all items on November 20th.
Items needed: Sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing, onions, celery, dinner rolls, cereal, bread, and bags of potatoes. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can drop it by the school office. Thank you in advance to all of those who are willing to help make Thanksgiving a little brighter.
Contact Mr. Luetkemeyer or Mrs. Robinson with any questions.
Marquette Holiday Gift Cards
Inclement Weather Notice
As we enter the winter months, I think it is appropriate to take some time to discuss my approach to closing school due to extreme weather before it happens.
All families handle weather differently and I strongly encourage families to make their own decisions regarding whether or not it is safe to travel to school. On a bad weather day or a potentially bad weather day, the school will make a decision to hold classes or not no later than 6:15 in the morning. The school will send a text message through RenWeb and post on the Marquette Facebook page. I always prefer to make a decision about school closure as early as possible, however, sometimes the timing of incoming weather can make the decision difficult. Often times a decision is made during overnight hours, so check your phone/email or social media early in the morning or even the night before.
Once I determine to open school, I will not close the school early barring a major catastrophe or loss of power/heat. Although the school will not be closed mid-day, we do encourage families to make their own decision on picking up their children early. Please do not delay picking up your child(ren) early if you have concerns, we will not make judgments on your personal family decision. Any child picked up after 12:00 will not have any penalties apply to their attendance. To keep phone lines open, however, please do not call ahead to check out your child. We ask that you arrive in the school office and we will call your child down with their things.
Late starts are an option the school may choose to use in the case of bad roads or the potential for bad weather hitting around arrival time. Theoretically, a late start allows families and teachers to begin driving after the sun comes up and could better allow individuals to navigate icy or snow packed streets. While we understand a late start can disrupt a parent’s ability to get to work on time, our hope is that a shorter day at work is better than taking an entire personal day to watch children. During a late start, the school will indicate through email communication what time the building will open and when drop off can begin.
While the school will not ever close early once the day has begun (barring a major catastrophe), the school may choose to close Extended Care early. In the event of bad weather or potentially bad weather later in the day, Extended Care may be closed early. In the event that Extended Care closes early, we ask families to make every effort to pick up their children as soon as possible so that our employees can drive home safely. We will do our very best to make an announcement about extended care as early as possible.
If you should have any questions about our winter weather closing, please contact me at jay.luetkemeyer@marquetteschool.org or simply call the school office. The decision to close school is not made easily and I will always try to make a decision that is in the best interest of all of our students, families, and staff. I implore you to never go against your better judgment when making a decision to bring your child(ren) to school. I am making a decision that meets the needs of all our students and families, you must make the decision for your specific family.
Week at a Glance
Monday
-Empowering God's Children lessons begin
Tuesday
-8:15 Mass for Kindergarten and 1st grade
-SAC Meeting at 6:00
Wednesday
-8:15 Mass for 4th and 5th Grade
-RISE Meeting
-Veterans Day
Thursday
-2nd and 3rd Grade Mass at 8:15
Friday
-Middle School Mass at 8:15
Teacher Positions
Middle School Math
Marquette Catholic School is taking applications for a full-time Middle School (6th-8th Grade) Math Teacher. The position is available immediately, however, we are also accepting applications for the 2021-2022 school year. Marquette’s Middle School math program offers class sizes that average fifteen students or less and employs two full-time math teachers. Applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree with certification for high school algebra. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, please submit all information to the principal at jay.luetkemeyer@marquetteschool.org and include a resume.