2023

Dear St. Therese families,

Week 2 in the books! We enjoyed the sun, getting to know new classmates, and slowly adjusting to new schedules. Middle school students enjoyed their first Spanish language class this morning, and beginning next week, all students will jump in!

Because there is so much info to digest this week, I will spare you Mr. Schoning's treatise on all things wonderful in week 2. The highlight of the week was our first school mass on Wednesday morning. This was presented by our staff, to the students and community.

Father Jeff's homily was centered on the St. Therese Student Playbook.

1. Seek God: spend 5 minutes every day in prayer to deepen your personal relationship with Jesus.

2. Seek God in each other.

3. Seek God by honoring parents and teachers.

I encourage you to discuss the Playbook with your kiddos over the weekend. Father Jeff may well quiz us next week in mass!

Lots of details below. Highlights: Jog-A-Thon and Back to School Night. Have a fantastic weekend.

All the best,

Principal Schoning

• Monday, September 18th - School picture day. Free dress is optional. If you prefer that your student wear their uniform, that is great too.
• Wednesday, September 20th - School mass @ 8:30 a.m. All are welcome. Please join us.
  
• Wednesday, September 20th - High schools visit and present to our 7th and 8th grade students.
• Thursday, September 21st - Back to School Night 6 - 8 pm
• Wednesday September 27th - Feast of St. Therese celebrated in school mass at 8:30 a.m.
• Thursday October 5th - Jog-A-Thon!!!!!!!! If you're not registered yet, you could miss the fun, and a t-shirt! But it's not too late!

Mrs. Rothery deserves a huge St. Therese shout out, for all of her hard work this year. She is our most experienced pre-k teacher, and does amazing work with the youngest of our students. Watching the progression from the tear-filled first couple of days, to now seeing kids running to the little yellow house all smiles, in such a short time, is a testament to the gifts of Mrs. R.

Check out what they have been up to!

• Back to School Night is Thursday, September 21 beginning at 6 p.m. This is a time for parents to meet with their kids' teachers, ask questions, and learn about the teachers' expectations for the year. This is not an open house, and it's not an event for kids. Please plan to join us that evening, and if possible, please leave children at home. If you need to bring small children, we'd rather have them along with you, than have any parent miss the evening. If you have any questions, please call the school office.

• Kids have been great about bringing water bottles every day, which means that you folks at home have been great about sending them with water bottles. As a reminder, there are no more cups in the office. Students who don't have their own water bottles can get one in the office for $1.

• Lost & Found is already way out of hand. Mrs. Barnett and our staff put a lot of energy into our uniform exchange closet. We know it's difficult to go purchase uniforms on top of the bills of private school, hence the service. It's disappointing when we see dozens of those St. T. sweatshirts around the playground. If your child goes to school in a sweatshirt, please remind them to also come home with it. Same goes for water bottles and lunchboxes! If we have an item beyond the school week, we will wash it and donate to charity. Thanks for helping us to keep those items coming back home.

• Jog-A-Thon is coming up! In order to for each student to get their t-shirt, they must register for the event. So far, about 70% of students are registered. Help close the gap, and make sure your child is registered. The Jog-A-Thon is our primary fundraiser and we need the support of the whole community to make it successful.

All fair questions. In the past, proceeds from fundraisers have almost all been allocated to tuition assistance. For the 2023 Jog-A-Thon, we are addressing different needs. We are growing, diversifying classes and curriculum, and investing in our campus.

The proceeds from this year will go towards technology in our classrooms and the gymnasium. We are 1:1 for iPads/Chromebooks in grades 8 - 5. Just this week, we have refreshed technology in all grades with the addition of at least 10 new iPads in each classroom. Mr. Rymer has joined us to build a world class computer science program to teach our students engineering, coding, and robotics. iPads enable us to enrich curriculum too, by way of digital textbooks. It would be great if this was a one-time cost but anyone with a smartphone and a child can attest to the inherent risks. We can't have a successful Jog-A-Thon without you!

• 70% of families registered - goal is 100%
  
• Just 1 - 2 donation requests can result in big results. Online giving makes it easy to ask friends and family!
  
• If every student raises $250, we will reach our goal of $50k
  

Registration

• Go to http://pledgestar.com/sttherese

• Click “Not Registered For This Year’s Event”

• Enter your name and email address, then click “Submit”

• Follow the instructions on-screen to register Jogger(s) and add family and friends

Using your Android or Apple phone or tablet:

• Go to the Apple App Store on IOS or the Amazon App Store on Android and search for "PledgeStar" to download the Family App, or go

to https://pledgestar.com/sttherese/downloadapp.html

• On the home screen enter your event code: “sttherese” to locate your event • Click “Not Registered For This Year’s Event”

• Enter your name and email address, then click “Submit”

• Follow the instructions on-screen to register Jogger(s) and add family and friends

When you finish, the system emails pledge requests to your family and friends and allows them to make secure credit card donations online. You get notified each time a pledge is made, and you can track your pledge progress online. Call 1-888-598-7510 if you need help.

Scan the QR Code to register and get started!

Mr. Rymer is insistent that ALL St. Therese students are capable of learning coding, and the building blocks of engineering. He can back it up! 7th grade students are working with kindergarten students already! I can't explain the details, so ask your student, or make sure to stop by and see Mr. Rymer next week on Back To School Night.

All Catholic students from 4th grade through 8th grade who have made their Holy Communion are invited to altar serve at St. Therese Catholic Church. Training takes place on Saturday, 9/16 (1:30 PM - 3:00 PM) and Sunday, 9/24 (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM). Click here to sign up for only one of the two trainings.

* Returning altar servers are required to attend in order to serve for the 2023/2024 school year.

If there is a conflict and your child cannot attend either training day, please contact Ms. Campos at gcampos@stthereseschool.org.

"I bought this book at The National Portrait Gallery in London over the summer because I loved the illustrations. I read it to 1st grade, then asked them to create their own version, some children created a girl with flowers in her hair. Materials used crayon and wax pastels" - Mrs. Radford

FREE English Language Tutoring

ALL AGES – CHILD TO ADULT

If you or anyone you know is working to learn or improve their English as a second language (ESL), please call or email ME:

Kate McLean, your St. Therese Reading Specialist.

I am offering 20 hours of FREE tutoring to complete a ESL training requirement through

International TEFL Academy

Tutoring support may continue as you desire.

mcleank@stthereseschool.org

• Wanted: Apple TV: Remember a few years ago when we all purchased the Apple TV hardware in order to watch Ted Lasso, before smart tv companies willingly accepted Apple TV as a native app? Now those clunky silver boxes are about as useful as book-ends because of the rapid pace of change in technology, but they are still incredibly useful in classrooms. We could use a few more. If you have one in a junk drawer or collecting dust in an old closet, and are willing to donate it, we'd be forever grateful.

• Wanted: handy person and painter. If you are looking for a way to get those Fair Share Hours, please contact the main office, barnetta@stthereseschool.org. We have endless projects, so don't be shy.

• Wanted: Volunteers for Athletics. Contact our athletic directors, athletics@stthereseschool.org, if you can help run concessions, work the doors at tournaments, keep score, etc. Really fun way to help out, especially for the sports fan. Applies towards Fair Share Hours also.

4th Grade students discussed how to be a good friend and came up with over 20 important ways. In class, they highlight and discuss one each week.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Mrs. Barnett, our registrar and office manager knows all! Call, email, or drop by and just say hello.