Parent Connection
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Easter Recess
There will be no school on Thursday, April 1st through Friday, April 9th for Easter Recess.
School resumes on Monday, April 12th.
Absent or Tardy
If your child will be absent or tardy, please call or email the DeSales Main Office at 716-433-6422.
If an absence is due to illness please call the school nurse at 716-434-4690.
Spring STREAM Academies
We are very excited to announce that we will once again be offering STREAM academies this spring.
Below you will find a list of our STREAM Academies for Spring 2021. Courses begin on Monday, April 19, 2021 and run through Thursday, May 27, 2021. Students can choose to enroll in as many STREAM academies as they would like.
If you are interested in having your child participate in STREAM Academies or Girls’ Running Club, please return the attached registration form along with payment no later than Thursday, April 15, 2021. Please note that due to social distancing guidelines provided by the Niagara County Department of Health, we have had to put limits on the number of students that are able to participate in each academy.
Registration is based on a first come, first serve basis.
If you have any questions regarding our STREAM academies, please contact our STREAM Coordinator, Mrs. Katie Badura at (716) 433-6422 ext. 443 or by email at badurak@desalescatholicschool.org.
Covid Travel Guidelines
Bid for Quality Education Auction
The Annual Bid for Quality Education Auction is our biggest fundraiser of the year! This year's event will be held virtually on April 16, 17th & 18th via the Auction Facebook Group. You and your family and friends will be able to bid on items from the comfort of your own home!
Join the Auction Facebook Group to take part in this year's Annual Bid for Quality Education Auction! Please invite your family and friends to join the group!
50/50 tickets and a Home Technology Raffle (worth $1,200) are taking place now. Don't miss the opportunity to get your tickets.
Buy 50/50 or Home Technology Raffle Tickets Now
Thank you for your support!
Meet our DeSales Teachers!
Meet our Teachers! Each Monday we will be highlighting one of our incredible teachers.
This week, we are so happy to introduce you to Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Ann Kraatz.
Mrs. Kraatz has been teaching for 37 years, split between being a Kindergarten and 1st grade teacher. She is happy to be back in Kindergarten saying, “Kindergarten has always held a very special place in my heart.” Mrs. Kraatz and her husband Mark have 4 children and 3 grandchildren. Spending time with family is very important to her. Mrs. Kraatz is a collector of Polish pottery, enjoys antiquing, loves cardinals and everything Christmas!
Mrs. Kraatz answered a few questions for us:
Choosing education as a profession: “I've been blessed with the privilege of attending this very same school system from 1st –12th Grade, and have very fond memories of each grade, teachers and classmates, so it has been my hope to pass along a love of learning, books & reading to our little ones. My own children attended school here and now my granddaughter has begun Pre-school here and this is also where I have spent all of my teaching years. Hence, DeSales is truly my ‘home away from home’, my second family”
Favorite Classroom Lesson: The ability to incorporate our faith as well as infuse music, song, art and movement in learning is just so important. I love sharing in the children’s enthusiasm and excitement as they discover new things. Now more than ever, lessons filled with smiles, cheer, play, laughter can help create a truly happy school day and memories for our little Kindergarten friends.”
Why DeSales: “Being able to share how God’s love is such a special presence in our children’s lives makes teaching here truly a heartwarming experience. Everyone here is all so caring and supportive.”
Favorite movie: “Wizard of Oz!”
Favorite quote: "(From one of my favorite movies)" –“A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others”- Wizard of Oz
“God Bless DeSales!”
Spiritual Life - Little Bites from Heaven
What are Little Bites from Heaven? The Spiritual Life Committee knows how important faith is to our families at DeSales. However, we also know families lead busy lives and finding time to sit down to foster that faith, read the Bible together and answer the questions our children have about God sometimes takes a back seat to other things. That’s why we think Little Bites from Heaven is a great tool to do just this. Dinnertime allows an opportunity to connect over food while having fun, joyful and meaningful faith-building conversations with your children. Little Bites from Heaven provides devotional time for all family members that includes scripture, questions to discuss and a short devotional. It’s as simple as read the scripture and devotion and discuss the questions together. We believe Little Bites from Heaven will help to prioritize what is most important and at the same time, foster and grow a deeper understanding of your family’s faith rooted in Jesus Christ.
Devotional: The First One Up!
Who is usually the first person to get up in the morning at your house? Is there someone who likes to wake up before everyone else?
We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at Easter because Jesus was the first one to get up in the house of God. Jesus didn’t get out of bed first. He rose from the grave first. He was the first body to come back to life and never die again. But Jesus will not be the only body to rise from the grave; he’s just the first. He’s leading the way. Observing His resurrection shows us what the resurrection of our own bodies will be like.
If you have joined yourself to Jesus, the moment your body dies, your spirit will immediately be in the presence of Jesus. Your body will be in the ground waiting for resurrection. And one day, when Jesus returns to this Earth, your body will rise out of your grave and be like His.
We all have bodies that will die, because we are descendants of Adam and Eve. Adam and Even sinned and brought death down on all of us, and since then every other human being has sinned too, except for Jesus. But every believer who has ever died, every body belonging to someone who loved Jesus that is in the grave, is going to come out of the grave perfect someday – just like Jesus’ resurrection body. Bodies die because of Adam’s sin. Bodies lives because of Jesus’ resurrection!
Scripture:
You can have a Bible close to the dinner table to use during devotions. The kids can take turns reading the scripture each week out of the Bible!
“He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen” Matthew 28:6
Discussion Questions (pick a couple or all questions and allow for everyone to answer. There’s no answer key! As parents, we sometimes think we have to have all the answers, but we don’t. It’s ok to sometimes not have all the answers! But God does and it’s good to let our kids know when tough questions arise that some things only God knows, and we can’t always understand, but we can always trust Him )
1. What do you think will be the best parts about getting a new resurrection body someday?
2. What do we know about Jesus’ resurrection body that gives us clues about what ours will be like?
3. How would you explain to a friend why we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus?
Little Bites from Heaven are excerpts taken from Dinner Table Devotions written by Nancy Guthrie
Breakfast & Lunch Menus
**Update: Breakfast and Lunch will be a provided FREE to ALL DeSales students through June 2021.**
DeSales Catholic School
Email: knuutilak@desalescatholicschool.org
Website: www.DeSalesCatholicSchool.org
Location: 6914 Chestnut Ridge Road, Lockport, NY, USA
Phone: (716)433-6422
St. Joe's Summer Sports Camps
For decades, the St. Joe’s Marauders have been a dominant force in Western New York high school sports and the school has become synonymous with success on the fields of play. And now, the winning team at St. Joe’s brings this champion spirit to you. With guidance from some of the top coaches and players in Western New York, the St. Joe’s Summer Sports Camps are sure to give you a competitive edge. St. Joe's is proud to offer 12 Summer Sports Camps for 2021. Learn more, and register you son at the link below.
Cardinal O'Hara HS Open House
OPEN HOUSE: Cardinal O'Hara High School is offering its annual spring open house with a few choices. The in-person event from 4 to 7 p.m. April 20 will be by appointment only. We have added a second day on Sunday, April 25th from 9am-12pm.
A virtual tour will start at 6:30 p.m. April 27. Each will give visitors an opportunity to meet students and faculty and learn what O’Hara has to offer. O’Hara students will lead tours of the 17 acre campus and discuss the opportunities available including more than 50 sports teams and clubs. Explore the school’s culinary professional kitchen, new science labs, fine arts, engineering and world languages. Faculty members will be on hand to answer questions. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Thomas Wilkie, admissions director, at 695-2600 ext. 357 or visit www.cardinaloahara.com.