Joyfully Embracing Our Mission
St. Clare School Family News | 3 October 2021
Journeying in Hope and Love: Building a Culture of Accompaniment
The Road to Emmaus
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us]
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
~ Luke 24:28-32, 35
Dear St. Clare School Families,
St. Clare School students strive to work towards the following graduation outcomes, so that when they leave as rising high school freshmen, they are:
FORMED IN FAITH, reasons with intellect and seeks personal growth,
LIVES A LIFE IN COMMUNION with compassion and empathy through inclusion and intentional encounters, and
ACTS WITH JUSTICE to become responsible STEWARDS of the resources entrusted to us by God.
At this week’s Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences, we highlight the partnership between school and home by coming together for the good of the child. Believing that every child can learn, we will recognize how they have grown in their faith, their social-emotional well-being and in their academic learning.
PARENT-TEACHER-STUDENT CONFERENCES | October 5-7, starting at 1:30 P.M.
Reminders for the week
Monday, Oct. 4 is the only full day this week.
Dismissal for October 5-8 is 12:30 P.M.
All conferences are on ZOOM. Your teachers have provided the Zoom IDs.
Conferences are October 5-7, starting at 1:30 P.M.
Grades 5-8 students attend and lead their conferences.
Conferences are 20 minutes in length.
Follow up meetings can be scheduled at a later time.
CKZ will be available for all students who regularly attend. If you plan on attending as a drop in, please reach out to valerye.moore@dsj.org.
HERE’S WHAT’S IN THE WORKS AROUND ST. CLARE SCHOOL
The 8th Grade Capstone Project
During their 8th grade year, students explore topics that will help them ideate a non-profit organization that will solve a social issue. Their project will align what Catholic social teaching tenets with the school’s mission and schoolwide learning expectations to form a social movement. They are charged to prepare the following:
Problem Statement (Description/Background)
What problem (social issue) are you trying to solve? What is the scope of your work (a generalized approach, or for a specific situation)? Include facts about the social issue that warrant a social movement.
Rationale (Motivation)
Why should we care about the problem and the results? This section should include the importance of your issue, the difficulty of the situation, and the impact it might have, if successful.
The Social Movement (Approach)
How will you go about solving or making progress toward the alleviation of the social issue? What important variables will you include in your approach towards the social movement? Who will be involved? What “products” or “deliverables” will you need to create to help you in your mission? How will you ensure that the movement is sustained enough to make a difference?
Lasting Change (Implications)
If successful, what significant "win" or lasting change will come as a result? Explain how you know this.
A Focus on Literacy
We are happy to announce that since last week, we have contracted with Mrs. Laura Seminatore, an education specialist who will be assisting our teachers in the development of learning plans that will focus on literacy for all our students, beginning with the youngest ones. She and Mrs. Kogura are providing our teachers and instructional assistants the support needed to assess, organize, analyze and design student learning. You will see some of the results of their efforts at Parent-Teacher conferences and in the weeks to come. We are excited to be able to provide this support so that students can continue to experience growth out of five months in distance learning.
Upgrades to the HVAC System
We invite you to get involved in supporting the upgrades to our HVAC to provide safe air quality for our students and teachers. Please reach out to Michael Adams <mjadams99nd@sbcglobal.net> if you are interested and able to help.
We are looking for those with expertise in project management, donor development and alumni engagement.
As always, we are grateful for your partnership and your care for this amazing community.
Gratefully,
Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal
A MESSAGE FROM THE HVAC COMMITTEE
Until last year, most of us took clean air for granted. Then came Covid, a deepening drought worsening allergies, and a wildfire season lasting months. For over a century at St. Clare School, our classrooms were cooled by the South Bay breeze, but we learned this is no longer reliable. Last fall we scored some of the worst air quality in the world after the lightning storm caused hundreds of wildfires, so windows had to stay closed. Our central boiler which provides heat in the winter is also no longer reliable.
Our school is working to upgrade the heating system and add air-conditioning to maintain a steady climate and a clean learning environment inside the classroom. Beyond good health, several academic studies have found a link between clean air and academic performance. In the Covid era, we know that continually cleaning air and maximizing airflow is the most important way to reduce viral transmission, even more important than surface disinfection.
Please support our efforts to improve our school air quality for students and staff. In coming months there will be several opportunities to be a part of this effort, which will require considerable financial resources. We ask you to remember our students and staff in your prayers, participate to the best of your ability, and consider a sustaining gift that will pay dividends to our community for years to come. Thank you for your generosity.
If you can help spearhead this effort, contact Michael Adams who is coordinating the multifaceted efforts to bring HVAC upgrades to St. Clare.
Reporting Attendance
Attendance Email: stclare-attendance@dsj.org
Attendance line: 408-246-6797 x 106
DISTANCE LEARNING IS A RESPONSE TO A CRISIS.
If your child is absent due to an illness or due to family vacation, Zoom accommodations will NOT be made. Treat this as if there is no option for distance learning. You may make up work missed when you return.
Distance Learning may be offered if a student has to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure (household contact or positive case).
Picture Retake Day Wednesday, October 27th
2021-22 School Calendar
Below, you will find the Calendar Grid for the school year. Some find this difficult to navigate, so I’ve created the Calendar Highlights document which I hope will make it a bit easier for you to consume.
Some changes since the end of the school year: we added September 20th as a NO SCHOOL DAY and our School Year will end a day earlier. The original calendar had us attending 183 days of school, knowing that we had three days over the required 180 days. We are keeping the 181 days in the event we have to close for an emergency due to poor air quality.
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 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