GLVN News
Information for Parents ~ November 2016
Dear Parents,
We are so thankful to God for the many blessings He has given us this GLVN school year.
Our Students. They are unique. They are inspiring. They give us purpose. They make us laugh. They make us try harder. They keep us on our toes. They keep us humble.
Our Teachers & Volunteers. Their commitment is immeasurable. Their patience is extraordinary. They are brave. They are generous. They love. They sacrifice.
Our Parents. You are persevering. You are flexible. You are passionate. You care. You hope. You give.
Our Religious. They guide. They pray. They support.
This Thanksgiving, all of us in the GLVN program want to thank you for allowing us to journey with you and your family as you grow in love for Christ and one another. We thank God every day for the opportunities we have to share our own love for Christ with you and your children.
God is good. All the time.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
In Christ,
Chi Phạm
Principal
A Season of Giving
This Sunday is the beginning of Advent. In the GLVN program, we want to help our youth develop a spirit of giving during this time as they wait to receive the beautiful gift of Jesus.
In addition to the classroom learning and activities that our teachers will be doing with their students and the prayer intentions during Mass for the Advent season, here are some of the all-school activities that will be taking place during December.
Happy Birthday Jesus!
Saint Prayers
We had a blessed All Saint’s Day celebration at the beginning of November as Cha blessed the Saint images and classrooms.
Click here to view more photos from the day.
Each class prayed a special prayer of their patron Saint, and it is the prayer that our teachers pray with their students each week. The patron Saint for each class was chosen for the virtues that the Saint is recognized for and how their lives are great examples for the students in each age group.
We encourage parents to pray these patron Saint prayers with your students every day to help them grow in holiness at home, at school, at work and in life.
Click here to see the prayer for your child’s class; each prayer is on a separate page for you to easily print out.
Lunar New Year Performance
GLVN is planning to practice a performance for our parish Lunar New Year celebration in January. We will begin practice in December, and are looking for at least 20 students (boys and girls) in grades 6-10 who are interested in being part of the performance.
Being part of the performance will require practices in December and January on Saturdays and some Sundays after Mass.
Please contact Chi Pham if your child would like to participate, and we will provide more details once we have the full list of participants and practice schedule planned out.
Reminders of Upcoming Calendar
Parents can view the full GLVN calendar online at any time. Please check back regularly because some dates may be adjusted based on parish schedules, etc.
Upcoming no school dates:
- Sunday, Nov. 27 – No School (Happy Thanksgiving!)
- Sunday, Dec. 25 – No School (Merry Christmas!)
- Sunday, Jan. 1 – No School (Happy New Year!)
Safety of Our Students
For your information, the parish recently filed a police report regarding a woman who has been loitering at the front steps of our church. Whenever she is approached by someone, she has responded in inappropriate language.
Therefore, we have made efforts by our Administrative Team and teachers to watch the youth and remind them of safety, but we need parent help as well.
- Bring your child into the school and pick up your child inside the church to avoid students wandering around without adult supervision.
- Remind your child to always stay inside the school or church during GLVN hours.
- Students are NOT allowed to go to CVS during the lunch time. Please ensure your child(ren) have their lunch ready prior to coming to school, or that they have money to purchase food in the cafeteria during the lunch time.
- If you need to pick up your child(ren) early from GLVN, please come to the GLVN office (room 103) to sign out your child(ren) and get a pink early dismissal form. Please come to the classroom with the slip to pick up your child(ren). This helps us ensure that students are leaving with an approved guardian.
If you are able to volunteer during GLVN hours (10 am to 1 pm) to monitor our school hallways and doorways and church grounds, we would greatly appreciate the help! Please contact Chi Pham in the GLVN office if you are able to assist in any way (even if just for part of the class hours).
Dress Code for GLVN School and Church
We want to reiterate with our students that we should dress to respect whenever coming to church and the GLVN school. It is our way to show our love for Jesus and our dignity as baptized children of God. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ” (Galatians 3:27)
Please remind students that they should be wearing their GLVN uniform with the shirt tucked in neatly. Pants should not be sagging or torn. No shorts or short skirts; skirts should be at the knee-level or longer. In addition, on days where youth are at church on non-GLVN school days, please remind your child(ren) not to wear tank tops, sleeveless or shirts with plunging necklines.
Food Allergies – No Peanuts in School
We have some students in our program who are allergic to peanuts. We ask that parents be mindful of this and pack a no-peanut lunch for your children.
GLVN is looking for some experts within our parent community. Please contact Chi Pham if you can help out or have any ideas to share.
Tech Experts – with winter weather approaching soon, our administrative team has been thinking of how we can best communicate with parents in case of a school cancellation due to bad weather. In the past, we have used a call tree and had teachers and Ban Phu Huynh help make individual calls to families to inform them. This is very time consuming and often we aren’t able to reach families in a timely manner.
Therefore, we would like to research group texting, group voicemail, or other ways to quickly get a message out to parents for situations like that. If you have this knowledge or are able to research and test out these types of technologies for us, please let us know!
During the GLVN Open House, many parents asked about resources to help them learn and grow in their own faith. GLVN feels it is so important for parents to also continue to grow in their knowledge and love for God alongside their child(ren), so we have an ongoing connection in all that we do in the GLVN program with our parish Family Ministry program. Here are some upcoming parish activities that might be of interest to parents.
- There will be an Advent retreat for couples and the entire parish during the weekend of Dec. 2-4. Please watch the parish bulletin for more details. The youth retreat is on Dec. 3 as communicated in the article above.
GLVN Communications
Did you miss our October News? Read it here:
- English: https://www.smore.com/nzf0j
- Tiếng Việt: https://www.smore.com/0thec
News and information about the GLVN program for parents and students will be posted in a few different places.
- Parish website at www.gxannagiusehien.net
- Parish bulletin
- Bulletin boards in the school at the main entries of the church and school and in the GLVN office (room 103)
- This newsletter (GLVN News) will be published monthly online to keep you updated on what’s happening in the program. It will be sent via email (if we have your email address) and on the parish website.
Contacting GLVN
Main GLVN Phone (general questions and student attendance): 612-470-2627
Please include student full name, grade and parent name/phone number when leaving a message.
Click here to meet the Administrative Team & read more about their roles.
Common questions or concerns listed below can be directed to the specific Administrative Team Member. Please call the GLVN office main number to reach these individuals or visit us in the GLVN office on Sundays from 10:00 to 1:00 p.m.
- Overall GLVN program (Principal)
- Absence reporting/early dismissal (GLVN office room 103 or via phone 612-470-2627)
- Spiritual needs of students/teachers, Mass or Confession (Chaplain)
- Student progress, homework and other class topics (Teachers)
- Giáo Lý curriculum or teachers (Religious Education Coordinator)
- Việt Ngữ curriculum or teachers (Vietnamese Language Coordinator)
- Student database (Secretary)
- Purchase uniforms (Treasurer)
- Student Code of Conduct issues (External Relations Coordinator)
- General security on school and church grounds during GLVN (Safety & Security Lead)
- Liturgical and Mass (Liturgical Lead)
- Children’s Choir (Choir Lead)
About GLVN
1) To support parishioners in the faith formation of their youth, helping them to know and love God, and preparing them to receive First Reconciliation & Communion and the Sacrament of Confirmation.
2) The Vietnamese language program is integrated into the parish to help our youth maintain their Vietnamese language and culture.
Email: chipham.sasjhparish@gmail.com
Website: www.gxannagiusehien.net
Location: 2627 Queen Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN, United States
Phone: 612-470-2627