St. Teresa Tidbits
October 16, 2022
Special Dress Up Day- Tuesday
St. Teresa of Calcutta School has the history of spreading its generosity and sponsoring a child from an under-developed country. The St. Teresa school family has adopted Damian, from Colombia. The goal is to send him $36 every month. The students raise these funds by bringing in loose change or holding mini fundraisers throughout the year.
Our Disciples in Training Council is asking students to dress up on Tuesday, October 18. Students have the option to wear red, blue, or yellow to represent the Colombian flag.
If your child decides to wear one of those three colors, please consider donating 50¢. The money will go to Damian and his family in Colombia.
No School Friday
October 21 is a scheduled professional development day for our staff. The day will begin listening to Joe Beckman speak about human connections. We will also dive into Ruby Payne’s research on social-emotional learning, and prepare for conferences which are quickly approaching.
Giant Piggy Bank
St. Teresa of Calcutta School continues to participate in Fidelity Bank & Trust’s student banking program. This is a great way to teach your child about the importance of saving for the future! I know of former students who have used this program throughout grade school to save enough money to go on the Washington DC trip at the end of their eighth grade year!
Giant Piggy Bank members will receive a premium rate, disclosed with the account agreement, on the first $5,000 in their account. Along with this premium interest rate, members will be entered into a weekly drawing each time they make a deposit. Members also receive a FREE $2 deposit when they turn in their full sticker book to the Giant Piggy Bank after making 8 deposits.
Joining the Giant Piggy Bank is easy! Simply contact and visit either the Ossian branch at 563-532-9375 or the Calmar Branch at 563-562-3442 to fill out the necessary forms.
Giant Piggy Bank days are designated on our monthly activity calendar.
Blue Cord Service Learning Program
St. Teresa of Calcutta School Blue Cord Service Learning Program is based on the tenet that learning and service are connected to the intellectual and moral development of each student. The goal for our students is to serve our community in a variety of ways, helping others outside of their immediate circle. The color blue represents Mother Teresa’s devotion to caring for the sick and poor.
“Love cannot remain by itself – it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.” -Mother Teresa
Through service, our students will gain a sense of empathy for others. This work will lead to a desire to contribute to our community. It will also help to develop their teamwork and leadership skills. The Blue Cord Award is a distinguished graduation award available to St. Teresa students who volunteer for a total of 100 service hours. Students are recognized at the annual school-wide awards ceremony in the spring and at our St. Teresa graduation Mass.
It is encouraged that students complete 25 hours per year beginning in 5th grade. However, students can accumulate the hours at any point to achieve 100 hours by graduation. If more than 40 hours are accumulated in one year, extra hours will be carried over to the next year. The Blue Cord committee will review hours submitted.
The emphasis of this work should be “outreach” to our community, primarily with non-profit organizations.
Eighth grade service hours are due one week before school is out for the summer. All other students' service hours are due no later than June 1.
Details:
Service Hour Forms are available in the school office or on the school webpage.
The form can be turned into your classroom teacher or the school office. You need to have the organization’s supervisor sign your form. If you forget the form, have them write a note for you.
Babysitting, classroom clean-up, and household chores do not meet the criteria.
Specific dates should be listed - not a general time period.
All Service Hours are subject to approval. The Principal and Lead Teacher will determine the validity of questionable service hours.
Volunteer hours cannot be paid hours. A list of pre-approved volunteer opportunities and all of the forms required can be found in the office or on our webpage. Students can ask for approval of opportunities not on the list by speaking with administration.
Quarterly updates are sent via email to those participating in this program.
Conferences- Nov. 1 & 2
Conferences are quickly approaching. Please save the date for either Tuesday, November 1 or Wednesday, November 2. All conferences are held at the Ossian site and online scheduling will begin Tuesday, Oct. 18. We will also be taking orders for Mabes half-baked pizza. Please watch our facebook page for more information or call the office at 563-532-9353 to place your order. During conferences, the Scholastic Book Fair will be held in the library which allows us to earn points to purchase new books for our schools.
Fire Prevention Week- Oct. 9-15
Ossian Fire Department
Calmar Fire Department
Upcoming Events:
Oct. 16-20 CoGat testing 3rd, 5th, & 7th
Oct. 18 Giant Piggy Bank- Spillville
Oct. 18 7:00 Board of Education
Oct. 19 Mass & Adoration- Ossian
Oct. 20 Mass & Adoration- Spillville
Oct. 20 Giant Piggy Bank- Ossian
Oct. 20 Joe Beckman presentations K-8
Oct. 21 No School Professional Dev. Day- Joe Beckman
Oct. 21 9-3 MS Retreat- Calmar
Oct. 23 8:30-12:00 Harvest Breakfast- Festina
Oct. 24 10:00 grades 2-6 “The Lightning Thief”- Luther College
Oct. 25 Giant Piggy Bank- Spillville
Oct. 26 8:30 Mass & Adoration- Ossian
Oct. 27 8:30 Mass & Adoration- Spillville
Oct. 27 Giant Piggy Bank- Ossian
Oct. 27 5-8 MS solo festival
Oct. 28 K-8 Cresco Fitness Center
Nov. 1 Early dismissal- Conferences
Nov. 2 Conferences
Nov. 3 Early dismissal
Nov. 4 Compensatory Day- No School
Email: kkriener@st-teresa.pvt.k12.ia.us
Website: www.st-teresa.pvt.k12.ia.us
Location: 414 East Main Street, Ossian, IA, USA
Phone: 563-532-7065