Hello Saint Kateri School families ~

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Our students were like Christmas elves getting ready for our Senior Christmas Tea ~ choosing a gift for a Senior, looking for candy that they thought they might like, making sure there was a card and a gift tag and tissue paper on top. Not to mention the traveling tea cup with tea and cookies. They are excited for the Seniors to receive their Christmas gift bags. Today, we will gather our gift bags on the sanctuary and Fr. Gonyo will bless them before they begin their travels around our community.

We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the students and families this year for this community service project ~ it was truly a team effort. Gifts came in every day by the students, Parent's Association members reached out to community partners, and teachers coordinated student projects. This year our Christmas Tea will serve 136 Seniors, both in the St. Joseph Motherhouse and in the community. That is over double the amount of Seniors we have served in the past. What a bright, shining star of HOPE in this year of COVID restrictions ~ COVID has nothing on our ability to rise up and show our love! God bless everyone that was a part of this project!

A reminder that Saint Kateri School follows the closing of either West Irondequoit OR East Irondequoit for weather related closings. If either district has a weather related closing, Saint Kateri School will also close. Please stay tuned to local radio and television channels for listings of school closings. SKS will also send out a Robo Call to all families with closing information.

This year Mrs. Dinsmore will be sharing our Christmas Concert virtually. The children have been practicing and the taping was completed on Monday and Tuesday. A link to this concert will be sent out on Friday for you to view. Thank you to Mrs. Dinsmore for coordinating this for our students and families.

God bless you and your family this 3rd week of Advent!

Mrs. Terri L. Morgan, Principal

Email: Terri.Morgan@dor.org

Phone: (585) 467-8730

• Daily Health Checks have been going very well! Thank you for having them done by 7:30 each morning ~ this will avoid the phone calls
• This year we have had to close down our drinking fountains because of COVID. Be sure your child has a water bottle each day.
• Remember to put into PUP ~ late, absent or early dismissal notifications

December:

• 12/21: Light the Candle of Peace (purple)
• 12/22: Quiet Mass at 9:00am: 5th/2nd
• 12/23: Last day of school before Christmas Break
• 12/23: Advent Prayer Service at 8:45am
• 12/25: Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!

January:

• 1/4: Return to school
• 1/6: Parent's Association 6:00-7:30pm
• 1/12: Quiet Mass 4th/1st
• 1/15 Peace Prayer Service 8:45am
• 1/18: NO SCHOOL Martin Luther King, Jr Day
• 1/19: Quiet Mass at 9:00 3rd/K
• 1/26: Quiet Mass at 9:00 5th/2nd
• 1/31-2/6: Catholic Schools Week!

Attention Amazon shoppers! This year, as an extra fundraising effort for our school and church community, we ask that you utilize the AmazonSmile program! It’s very easy and of no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, our school community will receive a portion of the proceeds from each eligible purchase as a donation from Amazon.

Simply search for “Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Roman Catholic Parish in Irondequoit, NY” and select it as your charity. Then shop as usual! Amazon will remember your charity when it is time to check out and our community will receive a portion of your eligible purchases! Thank you for participating and happy shopping! Feel free to pass this information on to family members and friends looking to help out our school!

We are all aware of the increase in the COVID positivity rate in our area. It is not possible to get away from the daily reminders of what we are doing and how it is impacting others around us. Below you will find information you can use when you are considering whether or not you or your child will need to quarantine or isolate. We are getting more calls into school asking for guidance about next steps if a family member comes in contact with someone who is either COVID positive or if a family member comes in contact with someone who is suspected COVID positive. Please call our office if you have any questions ~ we will help you think through the guidelines.

Recently we have had cases of COVID-19 in members of our community. Each time we are notified of a positive case, we are required to call the Monroe County Department of Health for guidance on quarantine. They take information about the timeline of exposure and confirm our health protocols to determine the risk to our students and staff. Each time our risk has been very low and there has been no recommendation of quarantine beyond the individual with the virus. That is good news ~ and supports all the work our school and families are doing to keep us safe.

Thank you for partnering with us every day! We will continue to stay the course and move forward one day at a time!

Please share your love of Saint Kateri School in the upcoming weeks as we begin our enrollment process for next school year. We have already begun to get phone calls for tours which is great BUT...you are our biggest marketing tool. Reach out to family and friends who are looking for a school for their children next year. Post on your social media accounts, share our school posts and comment on local Irondequoit groups. Thank you!