From the Principal's Desk

In the readings for the Memorial of Saint Agnes today, we hear this from the gospel of Mark:

"Jesus sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,

May we look for ways to be servants for Christ. Sometimes this is in our giving of time and even in today's world our full attention to someone in need. Is there someone you can reach out to or are being called to "serve"? Like a child, may we open our hearts and minds to all that is possible through the simple acts of joy and kindness.

Catholic Schools' Week 2023

This Sunday we kick off our Catholic Schools' Week for 2023! We will have donuts and drinks after the 9:30 a.m. mass in the cafeteria. Between the hours of 9:30 - 12:30 our Book Fair will be open, Mrs. Hollins will have a family activity set up in the STEM lab, Mrs. Frey has an array of art on display for you to enjoy, and we even will have some memorabilia on display that shows some of our rich history and traditions through the years. If you have someone whom you know might be interested in SLS, this would be an awesome time to walk them through with you.

Many schools have homecoming weeks. This is our week to celebrate who we are and the rich traditions of our Catholic School. We are in free dress next week as long as you dress in the theme of the day. We will also have a variety of activities throughout the week for students and staff alike. Dress up days themes are:

Monday: Mismatch / Crazy Hair Day

Tuesday: Comfy day - Wear sweats, pjs, flannel

Wednesday: Favorites Day - Wear your favorite color, favorite team gear, favorite Disney character, favorite tractor T.

Thursday: Dress like a 100 year old wear some vintage SLS gear (In celebration of part of our building being 100 years old)

Friday: Free Dress Friday / Hat day

We will end the week with our talent show Friday at 1:30 p.m. (thanks Ms. Imel) and then on Sunday, February 5, the PTO is sponsoring a movie matinee at the Gibson at 12:30 p.m. Mrs. Narwold's second grade won our Toothpaste / Toothbrush drive and had the opportunity to pick either Homeward Bound or Sandlot to be shown. We will be showing.....Sandlot. Come join the St. Louis family for a matinee of fun! Snacks will be available for purchase.

Registration 2023-24

It is that time of year! We will begin our registration, PreK-8, for the 2023-24 school year on Monday, February 13. We also have some very exciting news about a new scholarship fund we have established for K-8 students due to the very generous giving of some local donors. Look for a letter coming your way next week.

Legislative Update

While the process is just getting underway, our friends at INPEA (Indiana Non-Public Education Association) have highlighted some areas that they will be strongly advocating on behalf of all non-public schools as needed.

Our priorities for the 2023 legislative session are:

1. Protect and Defend:

• Religious Liberty
• Choice Programs
• Push Back on Additional Regulations

2. Pursue Further Choice Expansions and Improvements

• Eliminate Pathways
• Kindergarten Eligibility
• Increase Financial Eligibility
• Technical Fixes (Birthday Eligibility and Fees)

As things continue to progress, I will keep you informed of bills which may be moving through the House and the Senate that may affect education in our PreK-8 world.

Free Dress for February

CSW - see above

February 14 - Valentine's Day - Free dress (red, pink, Valentine themed T-shirts, hearts)

February 24 - Last Friday of the Month

God bless,

Mrs. Mauer

Multi-generational SLS students
Does your family have multiple generations of St. Louis School students? We want to feature you during Catholic Schools Week!

Please send a photo that includes your generations of SLS students, along with your names (if you would like them included) to Mrs. Brooks at kbrooks@st.louisschool.org by Friday, January 27th.

SLS Memorabilia Needed

We are looking for St. Louis School memorabilia to use in a display during Catholic School Week. Memorabilia could include photos, past uniforms, report cards, etc. Please drop off any memorabilia to our school office with your name and contact number by Friday, January 27th. All memorabilia will be returned to you the week of February 6th. Thank you!

If you have questions or digital memorabilia to send, please contact Mrs. Brooks at kbrooks@st.louisschool.org.

Here are St. Louis alumni, Debbie (Vogelsang) Amberger '70 and Jack Hollins '19, and current St. Louis students Ava Hollins '23, Ryan Nobbe '28, and Charley Nobbe '31. Debbie Amberger is their grandmother.

SAVE THE DATE!! St. Louis School PTO is hosting a Chicken Dinner at the K of C on February 18th, 2023 from 5-8pm. Come out and join us in supporting St. Louis School.

Thank you,

Christy Brelage

Our next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, March 7th in the "old gym" at St. Louis School. We will meet at 6:00pm and will be discussing plans for the second semester and the end of the year. This is a great way to get involved in SLS! Learn about upcoming events and share ideas and thoughts about ways to support the students and staff of St. Louis. All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!

Our next basketball open gym will be Sunday, February 5th from 7:30 - 9:00pm. This is open to St. Louis parents/guardians (over age 25). There is a $2 entrance donation.

If there are any questions, please contact Shane Schirmer at shane.k.schirmer@gmail.com

For the month of December $30.30 was earned from the Box Top program,

16 people submitted 33 receipts. We have 30 people currently signed up for the program.

We have earned $405.10 since July 1st, our goal is $1000 by June 30th, 2023.

From now to February 28, 2023 every receipt entered will give our school a chance to win $500 Bonus Box Tops. (100 schools will win).

Thank you for your help in reaching our goal.

PTO Executive Committee

President - Elizabeth Munchel

Vice President -

Secretary - Amanda Farmer

Co-Treasurers - Andy Murphy and Robin Jones

Contact: pto@st.louisschool.org

Grant, Solara, Izzy, Alice, Myra, Elsa

Sam R, Evelyn, Sam W, Millie, Lucy, Lydia, Katie

Not pictured: Cam Walke

Coaches: Marisol Schutte, Carla Austin and Ethel Rodriguez

When James Dickey found out that the second graders of St. Louis Parish in Batesville missed him at daily Mass because of a bout with Covid Omicron and prayed for his healing, it touched his heart. He asked Mrs. Tammy Roell if he could give the kids a token of his appreciation, especially during this season of giving. Mrs. Roell remarked, “How about a Christmas pencil.”

James embraced the idea and was blessed with a local thrift shop having multiple colored pencils in a nice package for each student. As he stated, “Looking at all of the different pencils…..the thought popped into my head about the power of a basic pencil.”

So he also purchased the very basic HB (hard and black) #2 pencil for each student. The day came when the students would receive their pencils, but they also received the witness of how what we write (and say) can have both great and detrimental implications. Examples were given in the most basic forms: A note to their mother or father, a teacher, a relative, someone who is sick. He challenged the kids to think about people who wrote music or different kinds of books about what they had learned in their studies.

James went on to explain and reassure the children that all of them have been given gifts from God and what they come to know and write is very powerful!

On Saturday, January 21, 2023, the 2nd Grade First Communicants and the 8th Grade Confirmation students from St. Louis parish buddied up to learn more about the Eucharist. The buddy pairs traveled to several stations.

They had a treasure hunt in Church, where they found the often overlooked treasures in our church. Then, Fr. Suresh taught them about the vestments and items used during Mass. At another station, they reenacted the Last Supper, only to realize that is where the Mass came from! In the craft station, they had fun coloring and folding only to find out that it REALLY is Jesus in the Eucharist! In the Mass station, they were given Mass kits so they could practice setting up for Mass and Adoration.

Finally, they made chalices and flames with their names on them asking people to pray for them. These will be placed in baskets in the exits at church. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to prepare to receive these sacraments.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who donated their time, treasure and talent to make the day a success and to all the parents for supporting our program! We are very Blessed!

Kindergarten Celebrates 101 Days of School!

Our Kindergarteners had a wonderful time celebrating 101 days of school! Kinders dressed as dalmatians, listened to the story of 101 Dalmatians, shared their 101 collections, participated in some STEM activities and created cute puppy crafts. It was a great way to celebrate 101 days of learning!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

We have partnered with Margaret Mary Health to have a Vaccine Clinic at our school during school hours on March 7th, 2023. Most students need routine vaccines before kindergarten, before 6th grade, and then again after age 16. Some students need additional vaccines for college. This is the perfect chance to get your child up to date. Please take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

The online form must be submitted by: February 21st 2023

To complete the required form, read the following directions and then click on the link below.

• The document is password protected. Password: Vaccine

• Acknowledge the Adobe terms by clicking “continue” at the bottom of your screen.

• Enter legal name

• Date: The format must be 8 digits and use forward slashes. i.e., 01/03/2009

• Every line with an * must be completed.

• Yellow fields are not required, but highly recommended if submitting to insurance. A copy of both sides of the insurance card is NOT required.

• The address to send claims can be found on your insurance card.

• After forms are complete, a “Click to Sign” button will appear. If it does not appear, look over the form for incomplete fields.

• After entering an email, a “Click to Sign” button will appear.

• Go to your email. An email will be sent from Adobe Sign. Click on the “Confirm my email address.”

• After confirming your email address, your part is complete.

• MMH’s staff will review your child’s immunization record and vaccinate to meet state requirements.

Link: Routine Vaccines Only

Password: Vaccine

Insurance: Please contact your insurance company to verify eligibility, coverage, and location limitations. Some insurance companies will not cover the vaccines if they are administered in a school setting. Vaccines are billed as ‘preventative’ and may be covered under the wellness category of your insurance plan. MMH's provider is Michael Parker, DO. The insurance company makes the final determination of your eligibility and coverage.

Vaccine for Children Program: This program provides vaccines at no cost to those 18 years and younger who have no insurance, Medicaid, or have insurance which does not cover vaccines.

Vaccine Information Sheets can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/current-vis.html

Thank you,

Mrs. Gardner

St. Louis School Nurse

During the 3rd quarter this school year, we are focusing on the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The bulletin board in the main hallway has been updated with a great display for this. If you are in the building, be sure to take a look at it!

Get your raffle tickets turned in, if you haven't done so. The first drawing was held December 1st, and winning tickets go BACK IN THE POT! Remember, there are 48 drawings, so lots of chances to win!!

Please spread the word to your family and friends! Additional tickets are available in both the school office and the parish office. Thanks for supporting St. Louis!

Recent winners:

1/11 - $100.00 William Baum, Batesville

1/12 - $100.00 Gary Kuntz, Batesville

1/16 - $100.00 Beth Steinkamp, Batesville

1/18 - $250 Tammi Wintz, Batesville

1/19 - $100 Samantha Volk, Batesville

1/23 - $100.00 - Abby Becker, Batesville

1/26 - $100.00 - Dan Walke, Osgood

The old absence form has been phased out and we've changed to a Google Form. Please discard the link to the prior form and use the one listed below. It has been changed on the St. Louis website, and is under the Health section. A link can also be found on the main page.

https://forms.gle/v1uciEwj3WvVPurC6

Lydia Gardner, RN

School Nurse

St. Louis Catholic School

812-934-3310 Ext.283

Volunteer Page

Do you need to double check what date you chose to volunteer? Visit our "Volunteer" page on the SLS Website! We have links to each of our volunteer calendars to make it as easy as possible for you. We appreciate our volunteers so much!

https://www.st.louisschool.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1478055&type=d&pREC_ID=2218119

Scoring for SLS were Adam Weber with 12pts, David Koch with 11pts, Griff Koester with 7pts, Cayden Lieland with 3pts, and both Kaden Maple and Augie Hillenbrand bringing 2pts each. Carsen Hartwell played a great game also with many assists and steals.

Coach Trenkamp

St Louis 7th Grade Basketball

The 7th grade basketball team finished their season with an exciting game falling to East Central in the last seconds with a final score of 29-28. Ray Walke led the way with 10 points, Caleb Harmeyer had 8 points, Sam Dice had 5, Damien Brelage had 3, and Calvin Padgett added 2. The team played hard and left everything on the court.

The Cardinals put only 6 points on the board in the first half but held EC to 14. The defensive intensity of the entire game was impressive as EC was unable to get clean shots. Our team came out ready to go in the second half. The third quarter was impressive for the Cardinals with 9 points scored for the comeback. After a continued team effort the boys had the game tied up at 28-28 with seconds left. A foul in the last seconds put EC on the freethrow line where they scored the winning point. A failed half-court shot finished the game ending a hard fought season!

Our 6th Grade Lady Cardinals dropped their season opener to the Wildcats of St. Mary's. The Lady Cardinals kept it close to start the game but the lead quickly expanded because the Lady Cardinals got into early foul trouble. But they never gave up. The Lady Cardinals faced an experienced and tall team and held their own to kick off the season. They had an outstanding effort and never gave up. In the end, the girls were just outmanned.

The Lady Cardinals were led in scoring by Maci Smith with 15 points and several steals. Bella Watson had 6 points and Claire Baker chipped in 4 points. Alice Austin, Ellie Weberding, Katie Hohenstein and Lydia Dwyer turned in outstanding defensive efforts.

Come check out the Lady Cardinals Thursday take on St. Michaels.

Leon Smith

812-363-6503 call or text

On Thursday, January 19th, the Lady Cardinals faced another experienced and tough opponent in the Lady Trojans of St. Michaels. The Lady Cardinals never could get it going tonight. They had plenty of shots but just couldn't get them to go down.

The Lady Cardinals were led in scoring by Maci Smith, who scored in each of the four quarters. Solara Scheel got her first points of the year. Keep working hard ladies, your shots will fall!

Leon Smith and Erin Trenkamp

January 18th, our 5th grade Lady Cardinals faced a seasoned St. Mary's Wildcat team. The Lady Cardinals started out slow but after shaking off some nerves, they started to show how tough this team will be as the season progresses. St. Mary's jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The girls fought hard but eventually lost to a more experienced team.

The Lady Cardinals points came from Katie Hammond with 2 points, Norah Hermesch and Calire Baker with one point each.

The Lady Cardinals hit the court again Thursday night at home versus St. Michael's.

The Lady Cardinals got great defense and effort from Katie Hammond, Lydia Dwyer, Sophia Hillenbrand and Heidi Schneider. Great work ladies!

Leon Smith and Erin Trenkamp

The St. Louis Girls 8th Grade Lady Cardinals opened their season Monday night vs The Jac-Cen-Del Lady Eagles with a 32-7 victory. Gina Grote got the Lady Cardinals started scoring 4 points in the first quarter on their way to an 8-2 first quarter lead. The second quarter saw the Lady Cardinals play good defense but were unable to get any shots to fall except for Belle Young who scored all 5 points in the quarter for a 13-2 halftime lead. The third quarter the Lady Cardinals poured on the defense to turn the ball over and get easy lay-ups. Aubrey Baker scored 6 points in the quarter as the Lady Cardinals lead 30-4. Olivia Leising scored the only two points of the 4th quarter as the Lady Cardinals cruise to a 32-7 victory.

The Lady Cardinals were lead in scoring by Belle Young with 9, Gina Grote and Aubrey baker had 8, Olivia Leising added 6 and Maggie Tekulve had 1 point.

Coach Young

Hello!

My name is Marshall Kellenburger, the Spanish teacher and cheerleading coach at Oldenburg Academy. The cheerleading team is hosting a cheerleading day camp/clinic on February 11th and would love for your students to join us! They come to our campus and learn material from our team in the morning, and then perform in the evening at the Hillenbrand Family Feldhaus for our Varsity homecoming basketball game against Hauser!

I am sharing this link and flyer with you for you to share with your students and parents to register if they are interested. The camp is open to kids 3rd grade to 8th grade. They do not have to be a member of your school's cheerleading team to participate!

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Marshall Kellenburger

mkellenburger@oldenburgacademy.org