A Grateful Heart
Saint Clare School Family News | 15 January 2023
A Grateful Heart by Jazmine Misola, Class of 2024
BEGIN EACH DAY WITH A GRATEFUL HEART
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.
And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
~From Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Ch. 1:1-5, 9-11
Dear Saint Clare School Families,
This weekend, we celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sacrifice to bring about racial equality through non-violent resistance. Although we still have a long road ahead of us, we are standing on his shoulders to continue the work in the name of social justice. Just like Jesus, Dr. King brought to light the injustices of his time. In the gospel, we find that Jesus advocated for the marginalized: he invited the children to come to him, spoke with the woman at the well, dined at Zaccheus’ house, cured the lepers, defended the adulterous woman, selected disciples from all walks of life who were not always seen as “model” citizens. Our own mission speaks to our desire to follow their examples to celebrate diversity and include all. May we always keep this principle in everything we do as partners in the formation of the children and as co-workers in the vineyard. Although the weather will likely not allow us to do works of service this weekend, I hope that you will find plenty of opportunities to do this in the weeks to come, including raising awareness about equality and working for equity in your homes.
WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE: 17 January | NO SCHOOL, NO CKZ
Our faculty and staff will gather on Tuesday to develop the Action Plan for our accreditation Self-Study. Based on our review, we identified three key goals which we plan to complete in three years. Our work will focus on identifying strategies to achieve each goal, with the focus of impacting the high achievement of all students, while ensuring alignment to our mission, philosophy and Schoolwide Learning Expectations (SLEs). This intensive look at our path forward will take time to develop.
On Saturday, January 21, a group of parent leaders will gather to learn about key points in our Self-Study and will get an opportunity to provide feedback towards our Action Plan.
I am proud of our faculty and staff, our parent leadership, and of our community for supporting this process to sustain the work of our 166-year tradition to form the hearts and minds of students in our valley.
THE WORK OF THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
January is busy with opportunities for introspection. We are concurrently engaging in our accreditation self-study, Strategic Planning, participating in the diocesan Synod, and preparing to celebrate Catholic Schools Week. This is also the period when we look at the practical operations of our school: our finances, our programs, our staffing, and the future of our school. I ask that you prayerfully discern your active participation in these discussions and discernment. Your role as primary educators of your children and your commitment to partner with Saint Clare School has never been more important. I am grateful to you for walking this path with me and showing your support for Catholic education.
REMINDING YOU OF THE NEXT “A CUP WITH THE PRINCIPAL” | 19 January 2023 6-7P via Zoom
Please RSVP HERE. It would be so encouraging to see 53 who have already done so, as of this writing. Can we double this number since we have 200+ families at our school? It would be such a great testament to your commitment. Thank you.
MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON AT SAINT CLARE
Did you know that if you missed information from previous Family News posts, and you can’t find them in ParentSquare, that you can find them on our website HERE? https://www.stclare.school/newsletters
Ms. McKinnon archives them here for your consumption and for the consumption of prospective families and friends of Saint Clare.
As always, I am grateful to all of you who read ParentSquare posts to keep abreast of our vibrant community!
ANNUAL FUND: ANY AMOUNT HELPS
I am grateful to all who have sent in their contributions to our Annual Fund. You will find that Saint Clare tuition is on par, if not lower than most Catholic schools in our area, with tuition covering costs for supplies, field trips, and events and we have been very intentional in not having fundraising expectations. Your donation to the Annual Fund helps with emergency expenses caused by severe weather events and allows us flexibility when we have to bring in additional staff to support student learning and to our beloved teachers and staff. More importantly, it allows us to engage in justice work: to make Catholic education accessible to all those who desire it. Visit https://www.stclare.school/supportus to learn the ways you, your families and network of friends can keep Saint Clare School going for another 166 years!
ENROLLMENT RECRUITMENT IS THE WORK OF ALL
Your enthusiastic recommendation is the greatest asset towards our efforts to recruit students at Saint Clare. Our school attracts families from over 20 zip codes and parishes. There is no limit to the reach of our program. Invite families to schedule a tour or bring them with you to our Open House.
We have openings in most grades, but we are particularly targeting TK and K recruitment. Can you help us? Please reach out to Mrs. Cherell Rizzo, our Recruitment, Retention, and Marketing Manager if you have ideas or names of families she can contact. She and Mrs. Melissa Reynoso are working together to make Saint Clare known to families with 3, 4, and 5 year olds. Simply forward a link to our website: https://www.stclare.school or have them follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @saintclareschoolsantaclara.
A healthy enrollment allows us to continue the programs that ensure the high achievement of all students. That means co- and extra-curricular programs, updated resources and facilities, and more importantly, qualified teachers and staff. Thank you for your partnership!
UPCOMING EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT:
Join us for our Weekly School Masses on Fridays at 10:45 A.M.
PTG Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month at 6:30P. RSVP to the original post on ParentSquare.
ANNUAL GIVING/ANNUAL FUND. Here are the ways you can support Saint Clare: https://www.stclare.school/supportus
January 19: “A Cup with the Principal” from 6-7P | RSVP int the post to come!
January 21: Leadership Symposium, 9-11A | RSVP for those receiving an invitation
Catholic Schools Week Mass, Pancake Breakfast and Open House on Sunday, January 29.
February 8: Annual Lunar New Year festivities. Thank you to Jen Pham and crew!
February 9: WCEA Pre-Visit
March 15-17, 202: WCEA Visit
May 1, 2023: 2nd Annual Golf Tournament | Boulder Ridge Golf Club
As always, if you feel there is something missing, please reach out to me (cecile.mantecon@dsj.org) or to the office staff (stclare-info@dsj.org).
May LOVE reign in your homes and in your hearts always.
Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal
Kindergarten Starts the Year Off Ready To Learn
IMPORTANT DATES TO NOTE
Scroll down for the calendar grid and the links to the public calendar
- January 16: NO SCHOOL, NO CKZ: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- January 17: NO SCHOOL, NO CKZ: Teacher In-Service Day
- January 19: A Cup with the Principal, 6P
- January 21: Leadership Symposium, invitations to come
- January 23: Graduation Photos, info to come (Class of 2023)
- January 25: Tuition Agreements DUE to the office
- January 27-29: Diocesan Synod at Santa Clara University
- January 29: Catholic Schools Week Mass at 10:30A; Open House at 9A; Pancake Breakfast after all Masses
- January 29-February 3: Catholic Schools Week
- February 5: Re-Enrollment DUE in TADS
- February 8: Lunar New Year Celebration | 8:00A-9:00A
- March 9: Sock Hop TK-6 | 5:00p-7:00P
- March 20-March 24: Scholastic Book Fair
- March 22: Ice Cream Social | 3:00P-5:30P
A BIG Thank You to this Year's Jog-a-thon Sponsors
Attendance Impacts Learning
Early Literacy Resources from Harvard Global Family Research Project
2022-23 School Calendar
Below, you will find the Calendar Grid for the school year. It is a snapshot so you can plan for child care and work around the calendar to plan trips, vacations, and appointments.
Please remember that this GRID is a STATIC version of the calendar. For a more accurate and up-to-date version, please see the options below.
Other options to view the calendar include a Google calendar synched to ParentSquare, or subscribing to the St. Clare School Public Calendar below:
Google Public Calendar
You are invited to subscribe to the St. Clare School *PUBLIC* Google Calendar which is also synched to ParentSquare.
PUBLIC URL TO ACCESS FROM A WEB BROWSER
PUBLIC ADDRESS IN iCAL TO ACCESS FROM OTHER APPS
OUR MISSION
We, the Saint Clare School Community,
joyfully embody the Gospel mission entrusted by Christ to His Church.
Made in the image and likeness of God,
our community values our diversity,
embracing all backgrounds and cultures.
With a rigorous curriculum and student-centered instruction,
we, together with parents as primary educators of their children,
form learners with strong academic and spiritual foundations
to become moral and ethical servant leaders.
SCHOOLWIDE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS (SLEs) | Graduation Outcomes
A ST. CLARE SCHOOL GRADUATE practices
Habits of the Mind
Through Inquiry and Curiosity
Through Resilience and Resourcefulness
Through Creativity and Innovation
Habits of the Heart
Through Kindness and Respect
Through Empathy and Compassion
Through Gratitude and Humility
Habits of the Spirit
Through Stewardship and Servant Leadership
Through Accompaniment and Inclusivity
Through the example and teachings of Christ Jesus
School Leadership
Finance Committee Chairperson: Lea Lind
PTG President: Katy Kerns
If you are interested in a leadership role, please reach out to Mrs. Mantecon (cecile.mantecon@dsj.org).
SAC Meetings are held once a month via Zoom and open only to SAC members and invited guests.
PTG Meetings are held once a month via Zoom and open to all
Finance Committee meetings are held quarterly, with occasional special meeting times surrounding finance deadlines, and are open only to Finance Committee members and invited guests.
Parent Resource Library
Our Beloved St. Clare
Photo by Ed Carlo Garcia www.edcarlogarcia.com
St. Clare School
Email: office@stclareschool.org
Website: https://www.stclare.school
Location: 750 Washington Street, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Phone: 408 246-6797
Facebook: facebook.com/stclareschoolsantaclara