Monday Memo

Dear parents,

School safety is important to us all. Car rider procedures and protocols are the number one safety issue in any school. In the mornings, please do not allow children to exit from the left side of your vehicle and walk through cars to reach the school. All students should exit from the right side of the vehicle. In the afternoon, please do not park in the teacher/church parking lot and walk past the orange safety cones to pick up your children. I appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

We have seen an increase in sick children this month. Parents, please keep our sick policy in mind when assessing your children for school:

• A fever is a temperature of 100.4 or higher
• Students should be fever-free without Tylenol, Advil, etc. for 24 hours before returning to school.
• Students must be symptom-free (diarrhea, vomiting, etc.) for 24 hours before returning to school.

See below for important information about Catholic Schools Week and the upcoming Spring Gala!

The My Girl Dance is just around the corner on February 3rd. Help is needed to ensure a successful event. Please take a look at the signup and consider donating some time or supplies to this great evening. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040B44A4AD2BA5FB6-47203334-mygirl?fbclid=IwAR2SyQA6CdO7A-JcwrmHioaBg5LJyLjEKDF_xG_JILI_UQ2X0h-jJb3TnME#/

God bless, Janet Abdoulaye

Monday, January 29th

• Catholic Schools Week: Holiday-themed

• Teachers will read a holiday-themed book to a different grade level.
• Students may dress as their favorite holiday.

Tuesday, January 30th

• Catholic Schools Week: Sports Day

• Students may dress as their favorite sports team or sport (no shorts or tank tops).

• Students will enjoy an extra recess

• Volleyball Game Teachers vs. 8th Graders @2:30

Wednesday, January 31st

• Catholic Schools Week: PJ Day

• Students may dress in school-appropriate pajamas with athletic shoes (no shorts or tank tops)

• Students will enjoy a movie in the afternoon.

• 2:50 PM Dismissal
  

Thursday, February 1st

• All-school mass at 8:45 AM hosted by 7C

• Catholic Schools Week: Hat Day

• Students may wear a hat along with their school uniform. The hats must be removable for mass.
• Students will make cards to thank our community helpers and Valentine’s Day cards for nursing home residents.

Friday, February 2nd

• Morning prayer in the gym

• Middle School Field Trip to Saint Augustine’s Home

• Catholic Schools Week: Colors Day

• Students may dress casually in the colors listed below for their grade level.
• Students will enjoy a friendly Minute to-Win-It style competition in the gym!
• Pre- Blue
• K- Orange
• 1- Red
• 2- Green
• 3- Yellow
• 4- Purple
• 5- Black
• 6- Tie Dyed
• 7- White
• 8- Pink

Saturday, February 3rd

• My Girl Dance 6 - 8 PM

__________

Future Dates of Note

• Friday, March 1 - No EDM due to Spring Gala preparation
  
• Saturday, March 2 - Spring Gala at Saint Susanna
• Monday, April 8 - Remote Learning Day due to solar eclipse

The Spring Gala - Mardi Gras is just around the corner. The Gala is a great evening with friends, food, fun, and fund-raising for the school! There is a silent auction of locally donated items and teacher-donated experiences. The live auction includes one-of-a-kind items and experiences. This year's event will take place at Saint Susanna.

Tickets are on sale at the school office and can be purchased after upcoming masses. The ticket price includes event admission, entrance into a $5,000 raffle, and dinner.

The Gala Committee needs help staffing after mass ticket sales. Can you help in the coming weeks? This is an easy way for someone who is new to our school to volunteer and be involved! The committee will tell you all you need to know to be successful - check out opportunities here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080E4BACA622ABFA7-47448641-mass#/

Tax documents for extended day have been emailed directly to you from Mrs. Carson. Tax documents for tuition paid for preschool - 8th grade are available in the FACTS system.

To retrieve your statement from FACTS:

1. Login to your FACTS account.
2. Click on "View Details" next to the heading Payment Plan and Billing.
3. Click on "View Payment Summary" and ensure that you have the year 2023 in the drop down menu.
4. Print this sheet. This will show totals paid per child and category and has our Federal Tax ID number on it.

Special congratulations to our students who received awards at last night's SmArt Contest at Cardinal Ritter High School:

• Paelyn - 1st Place in 6th Grade Math
• Keira - 1st Place in 5/6 Theology
• Evelyn - 3rd Place in 5/6 Theology
• Jr. High Team A placed 2nd in Spelling
• Sophie - 3rd in 8th grade Art
• Jayden and Zeke - top spellers in middle school

Way to represent Spartans!

Father Rob and I met with Joe Hansen, Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Policy Support, at the beginning of December to learn about the process of finding a new principal for fall for Saint Susanna Catholic School. We are only the second school in the Archdiocese to list an administrative position and are in a great position to have a wide selection of candidates.

• Father formed a search committee in December. This committee is made of up a good cross-section of individuals from our parish representing different interests. I am very pleased with the expertise this committee brings to the search.
• The job description was posted on the Archdiocesan OCS Careers page, Nimble, and our social media last week. All applications go through the Archdiocese and will be accepted until February 23rd.
• Once the application period closes, the Archdiocese will contact the search committee and provide them with the applicant’s packets for review and interview selection.

I anticipate that interviews will take place at the end of February into March with a decision coming later that month. The new principal will take effect on July 1, 2024, as all administrative contracts in the Archdiocese start on July 1st. I will continue to serve as principal through the end of my contract in June.

Candidates must hold a valid Indiana administrator's license and be a practicing Catholic. Interested candidates can learn more at https://archindy.applicantpro.com/jobs/3202153

Registration for the 24-25 school year for current families is now open.

• The 24-25 Tuition Schedule is in the attachments at the bottom of the newsletter. Notable changes in tuition include a 2 percent increase overall and a 50 percent reduction in the multi-child discount (from $750 to $375 per child). The registration deposit has increased from $100 per child to $150 per child and is due at the time of enrollment. Remember that this is not an additional fee, but a deposit on next year's tuition.
• All current students must complete the enrollment process at www.saintsusannaschool.com/enroll This process is mandatory for all current students, even if they are not continuing at Saint Susanna next year.
• Enrollment for current families is due by Monday, January 29th. At that time, enrollment will open to new families.
• Updated Choice Scholarship income limits and award amounts will be available in February. These amounts increase each year.
• Additional limited financial aid is available by applying in the FACTS grant and aid system. This application will open in March and close by June 1, 2024. This aid is available for preschool through 8th-grade students prioritized by student and family needs.

• Applications are due by January 31st. There is limited space, so get your child’s app in today!
• Cardinal Ritter welcomes Daniel Dalkin, Sophia Barnes, and Jackson Hewlett to the Class of 2028.
• Don’t forget, SMART Contest is on January 24th
• Winter Cheer Clinic is February 2nd. Please use the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/QkYHiYm7uJs1j5749

Parents - help is needed to make this evening a success. Please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040B44A4AD2BA5FB6-47203334-mygirl?fbclid=IwAR2SyQA6CdO7A-JcwrmHioaBg5LJyLjEKDF_xG_JILI_UQ2X0h-jJb3TnME#/ Thank you!!

Anyone who needs to get caught up on vaccines can visit the Hendricks County Health Department on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and one Saturday a month to get caught up.

In order for our cafeteria to be self-sufficient, we must receive regular and timely payments from those who participate in the hot lunch program. As such, I have updated our lunch policies accordingly. Please see below for the excerpt from the attached Student Parent Handbook:

• For any student with a negative cafeteria balance, the student will continue to be eligible for a hot or cold lunch and milk; however, they will not be eligible for extra servings or any a la carte items including bottled water, until the account is brought positive. Students are always welcome to bring their own refillable water bottles to lunch with them.

• Preferred: www.myschoolbucks.com Payments made through MySchoolBucks credit to a student’s account automatically and accounts are updated without delay. Previously setup accounts will continue to work throughout your child’s time at Saint Susanna. Accounts can be set up with the lunch number that will come home in your child’s back-to-school packet. This system also shows parents all of the charges and credits to a student’s account.
• Alternate Method of Payment: Payments made outside of the MySchoolBucks system are subject to delay in crediting your student’s lunch account: 1) Online via www.saintsusanna.com/pay 2) Check sent via backpack mail to Mrs. Carson’s attention clearly describing the amounts to be applied to each student account. Do not send cash.

New uniform polos for K-8th grade for the 23-24 school year must be purchased from Schoolbelles and carry our monogram. Students can also wear monogrammed Educational Apparel red shirts from previous years. Students may not wear non-monogrammed polos as part of their uniforms.

Our plaid is unchanged. Girls may continue to wear the previous years' skirts or can purchase new ones at Schoolbelles as well. You can order through their website at www.schoolbelles.com with the school code S3012. Below is a flyer that shows items that Schoolbelles has to offer. The only item that must be purchased through their company is the monogrammed polos (highlighted). Other items are optional and are permissible in our dress code.

Middle school students will continue to have specially monogrammed shirts available from Avon Sports Apparel.

All volunteers must have a background check and completed safe environment training through the Archdiocese's Safe Parish system. All volunteers' background checks are monitored quarterly. All volunteers must be registered in the Safe Parish system before they can volunteer. Instructions for registering and training are in the newsletter each week (see below).

In order to volunteer in our school building during the day or attend field trips as a chaperone, you must have current safe environment training on file with us. This requirement includes safe environment training and a basic background check through the Archdiocese.

To obtain a new training and background check:

1. Go to the website www.archindysafeparish.org
2. Create an account.
3. You will need a passcode in order to create an account. The passcode is Archindy2021
4. Complete the background check for school or parish VOLUNTEER and select Saint Susanna as a recipient of your information.
5. Complete the training video and questions.

Please allow up to two weeks for this process to be completed.

The service hour tracking form can be found here and a copy will be sent home in the back-to-school packets. We ask that each family complete five service hours this school year. These hours can be completed during school or parish events.

Box Tops for Education

Here’s how it works:

• Step 1: Download the new Box Tops App (iTunes or Google Play) – it’s free
• Step 2: Create a username and connect it to your child’s school
• Step 3: Scan your grocery store receipt. Items with the new Box Tops label will be automatically credited to your school

Does this mean I should stop sending in my paper Box Tops that I have already clipped? No! Continue to send those to the school!

Kroger Community Rewards

Information on the Kroger Community Rewards program can be found here on their website or under the "rewards" tab in your Kroger app. You will need to search for the exact name of our organization as SAINT SUSANNAS SCHOOL PTP . From there, you can link your Kroger card with our organization and a portion of your spending at Kroger will come to us.

St. Susanna Catholic School's mission is to provide a Christ-centered, quality education that prepares and inspires its students to excel as they progress in their scholastic careers. Based on Catholic teachings, our students and staff exemplify the value of faith, service, love, and respect in all situations and with all people.

Email: jabdoulaye@saintsusanna.com
Website: www.saintsusannaschool.com
Location: 1212 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN, USA
Phone: 317-839-3713
Facebook: facebook.com/stsusannaschool