Holy Family School Newsletter

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s):

We have formally moved into the fall season, and God has blessed us with many great things. Along with all the wonders of fall, we know the business is just starting! Please take some time to read through this newsletter, as there are many important things that you will need to know for November.

The last day of the quarter is Thursday, November 9th. There will not be school on Friday, November 10th. Please see the information within this newsletter on report card distribution. As you know, Parent/Teacher Conferences will be a little later this year. They will be during the week of Thanksgiving. Tuesday, November 21st, they will be in the evening from 3:15-7:00 p.m. and a half day on Wednesday, November 22nd, from 8:00-12:00 p.m. Sign-up will occur on JMC this year. Notification will be sent to families when the registration has opened. Conferences are an important time to connect with your child’s teacher to discuss progress growth and answer your concerns regarding your child. Parents are encouraged to have their child(ren) attend conferences. This is an excellent opportunity for students to actively participate in their learning and see how the teacher and parents work together in their best interest. Teachers and staff have been working hard to ensure that all students learn and grow. Please be sure to make time for this important conference. The Book Fair will also be open during conferences on both days. The Book Fair will close at 12:00 on Friday to allow for take-down.

Regular attendance at school helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Good attendance also reflects how students perform at school. Even as kids grow older and more independent, families play a crucial role in ensuring students access learning opportunities and understand why attendance is so important for success in school. We appreciate your commitment to making sure your child is in school.

During November, we will emphasize the character trait of Thankfulness for an apparent reason: Thanksgiving! What a perfect time for our children to acknowledge that there is a good reason for our national holiday and that it relates to appreciating our blessings and showing gratitude for them. True thankfulness cannot have one without the other. Privately enjoying what we have and where we live is not enough - our children must be taught to publicly acknowledge their blessings and show concrete signs of appreciation to God and those who are responsible for them. To be thankful is to recognize the love of God in everything he has given us, and he has given us everything.

Your children will be taught to “count their blessings'' this month. You can encourage your child to create thank you notes and/or pictures to give to people in their lives for whom they are thankful. These notes do not have to be long or worded perfectly, just a two or three-sentence acknowledgment of their appreciation. Some healthy doses of appreciation and acknowledgment of our many blessings are crucial for them to maintain well-rounded and well-adjusted outlooks on life.

This habit of writing thank-you notes reinforces the earlier trait of Respect. When one takes time to thank another, it shows respect. This is another boost to your child's self-confidence and character development. No matter our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful.

Lastly, please ensure your child(ren) is coming to school dressed appropriately for the outdoor weather. Hats, mittens, coats, and boots are required to go outside. We want to do our best to keep kids healthy.

“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” ~Ephesians 5:19-20~ As children of God, let’s be sure always to count our blessings.

God’s Blessing to all of you!

Ms. Otte

As your school nurse, I am responsible for caring for sick or injured students, and I can be a resource for parents, students, and staff. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at the school. I am at the school on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the year. I look forward to getting to know each of you and your children.

A few reminders:

1. If your child is not going to be at school please call and let us know (or log their absence in the JMC Family App). If it is before or after school hours you can still call and leave a voicemail message. If we don’t receive a call/message from you, the absence will be marked as "unexcused". You will then receive an automated phone call from JMC around 9:30 AM notifying you of the unexcused absence. The phone call will instruct you to call the school to notify us of the reason your child is absent.
2. If your child is sick, they must be fever-free, without the use of medications (Tylenol or Ibuprofen), for 24 hours. If they are vomiting, they cannot return to school until 24 hours after the last episode.
3. Remember to have a change of clothes for your students here at school. Ideally a pair of pants, underwear, a shirt and socks. Kids spill, get wet outside, or have accidents and it’s nice to have a dry outfit to put on. We don't have clothes here for students so if they need a change of clothes and they don't have a supply here parents will be called to bring some in.

Thank you,

Nurse Raymie

Holy Family School is excited to have a new website set up for community members, extended family members, family friends, etc. to make donations to specific causes at Holy Family School. As we have mentioned in previous communications, students will participate in year-long Workathon projects to support our community. If you know someone who may need help with a project or a day brightener out in the community, please let us know. We would be happy to help and add it to our Workathon.

If you or someone you know would like to donate to the Workathon or another cause at Holy Family School, please scan the QR code below, or click the "Make a Donation to HFS" button to be brought to the donation landing page. This page will be updated as we add different causes throughout the school year.

Classroom teachers will decide how they want to celebrate Halloween in their classrooms and what the requirements for costumes will be (worn full day, half day, a couple hours, etc.). Please remember that costumes must be appropriate for school and follow the school dress code guidelines. Hats and hoods may be worn as part of costumes on this day only. Full-face mask costumes may be worn during the classroom party only. Please see page 12 of the Student/Parent Handbook if you have any questions.

Every October Holy Family School collects non-perishable food items to help stock our local food shelf. We will be collecting donations now through Friday, November 3. If you send them in with your students, they should be put in the boxes in the main hallway outside the school offices.

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Tuesday, November 21, from 3:15 - 7:00 and again on Wednesday, November 22, from 8:00 - 12:00. There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, November 22. PLEASE NOTE: THE PUBLIC SCHOOL IS IN SESSION ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22. Instructions for signing up for a conference time slot will be coming in the next couple of weeks. Note: all conferences are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

During conferences, we invite you to visit the school cafeteria and browse the Scholastic Book Fair. You may stop in anytime from 3:00 - 7:15 on Tuesday, November 21, or Wednesday, November 22 from 7:45 - 12:00.

Just a reminder that breakfast and lunch at Holy Family School are free of charge for all students this year. If your child(ren) eats breakfast, please discuss the meal requirements as outlined on the breakfast menu. PLEASE NOTE: According to state guidelines, all students eating breakfast must choose AT LEAST 1 fruit item and AT LEAST 2 other offered items.

The breakfast and lunch menus are below, on the JMC Family App, Family Portal, or our school website.

We are continually updating our school website (www.holyfamilysc.org). Under the "Current Families" tab, a link to the JMC login page has been added along with a page for families to gain access to different resources and FAQ's regarding the JMC Family Portal and the JMC Family App. Please continue to check the website for other updated documents. We appreciate and welcome feedback on how we can offer you more resources in the future through our website. Please do not hesitate to call the school or email admin@holyfamilysc.org with your questions.

To stay informed of everything happening at HFS, follow us on Facebook.

In addition to Facebook, please watch page 3 of the the Sauk Centre Herald every week to read up on spotlight events in the school. We are very thankful to our sponsors for giving us this space in the weekly newspaper.

Every year, we ask families to help by volunteering in multiple areas of the school. Please take a look at the flier below (you should have received this flier earlier this year) for information on where we need help. You can sign up by scanning the QR code on the flier, or clicking the "Parent Volunteer Sign Up" button below.

On Monday, November 27, Steve Angrisano will be presenting to the students and staff at Holy Family School. Students will also share in a Divine Mercy Chaplet at St. Paul's church after his presentation.

Steve Angrisano is an internationally recognized Catholic composer, presenter and passionate music missionary. For over two decades, Steve has traveled around the world, sharing his unique blend of humor, story and song. Whether it’s at parish missions, youth events, concerts, staff retreats or music workshops, Steve loves working with local ministry teams to bring new life and passion to their Catholic communities.

Below is a flyer from our ACC for the different presentations available to the public. To learn more about Steve Angrisano, visit: https://www.steveangrisano.com/

Below are the October Little World Changer Recipients for showing Respect in the month of October.

Back from left: Bristol Hunstiger (4), Allie Thooft (4), Laura Hennen (5), Anna Hennen (5), Blake Dingmann (6), Mikey Lieser (6)

Middle from left: Ms. Otte, Weston Dickhoff (1), Adelyn Hull (2), Axel Hammond (2), Elizabeth Joens (3), Mason Schneider (3)

Front from left: Clay Gottwald (K), Brayden Moritz (K), Cassie Middendorf (1)

These students performed a skit at our assembly this afternoon introducing the November character trait of being "Thankful". Their skit included examples of being ungrateful and what they can do to be more grateful with the things they have been blessed with. Please ask your children about different ways they can be more thankful for everything they have.

The above students are Laney Wilber, Claire Pohlmann, Kali Yarke, Elizabeth Friedrichs & Lauren Sunderman

A tremendous thank you and gratitude to the Knights of Columbus! They raised and donated $15,000 in raffle sales to HFS! Dan Krousey from the Knights of Columbus presented Holy Family School with the check.

We are very thankful for our local Rotary members (Nancy Cervantes, Sheri Lemke, Logan Gruber, Mark Kranz, Darron Nelson, Mike Traeger, James Macey and Chris Johnson) for donating several hats and gloves to Holy Family School for times when students have forgotten theirs at home.

On Wednesday, October 11th, Tim Kampsen from the local Lion's Club, along with Dr. Freese and his team from Eyes on Main, was here to conduct assessments and vision screening for grades 1, 3 and 5. There was no cost for these screenings and parents were notified of any abnormal findings. We are so grateful to have local businesses to support our students!

Please update your school calendars - we WILL have school on Wednesday, March 20. We will NOT have school on Monday, March 18.