St. Teresa Tidbits

November 13, 2023

Just in time for the holidays!

The St. Teresa apparel order is currently available! Explore our exciting new options on the online platform.

Please note that the order deadline is Sunday, November 26th. Press Play will deliver the apparel to the school on or around December 13th, just in time for the holidays!

St. Teresa Apparel Order

Holiday Scrip Contest!

As the holiday season approaches and to show all of our wonderful St. Teresa families and the members of our four parishes how EASY and AFFORDABLE it is to purchase scrip cards, we are continuing our 4th annual Holiday Scrip Incentive Contest November 11, 2023 through December 22, 2023.

For those who are not familiar with St. Teresa Scrip and how it works: St. Teresa Scrip purchases scrip cards (gift cards) from Great Lakes Scrip Company. As a non-profit organization, St. Teresa of Calcutta School receives a discount on the gift cards purchased. The discount ranges from 2% to up to 21%. The difference between the discount amount provided by retailers and the face value you pay is the profit. The profit is what provides your tuition credit and St. Teresa’s revenue from the program. Your family receives 50% of the profit from the discount amount to use toward daycare, tuition or lunch. Example: If the retailer offered a 10% discount on a $100 gift card, $10 would be the total profit; $5 would go to the school and the other $5 would be applied to your tuition the following school year. ANYONE can purchase these gift cards and apply the profit to any family’s tuition!

Football Mania

Thank you to those that bought and/or sold Football Mania tickets! We made $6,930 for our school which will be used for things such as field trips and instructional supplies. Last week's winners were as follows:

Samantha Frederick $25

Ashley Welch $25

Beth Elsbernd $25

Christmas Choir

Students in grades 6-8 who are interested in singing Christmas hymns before the Christmas Eve 5:00 pm mass at St. Francis de Sales are invited to register in the office before December 1st. Practice schedules will be decided after the Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you, Deb Scheidel.

Veteran's Day Mass

Everyone is invited to join our students in paying tribute to our veterans. Please consider attending Mass in Ossian on Wednesday at 8:30 AM or Spillville on Thursday at 8:45 AM.

A heartfelt thank you to veterans Jerry Bohr and Alvin Hageman for their insightful presentation on Thursday, November 9. Students gained valuable insights into military life, Jerry's experiences as a paratrooper, and the history behind the Veteran Memorial in Ossian.

On Saturday, November 11, some St. Teresa students took the lead in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during the Veterans Day Ceremony.

Thanksgiving Break

Please note that there will be no school November 22-27. School will resume on Tuesday, November 28.

Student Tuition Organization (STO)

Education Savings Accounts, ESAs, have given parents a choice in their child's education. Catholic education is becoming more affordable for families. For more than 35% of families, the Our Faith Student Tuition Organization, or STO, is the first piece of financial assistance income qualified families rely on. Even with the ESA's this year, more than 3100 students in the Archdiocese of Dubuque received more than $5.5 million in tuition assistance from the STO. Iowa taxpayers that donate to the STO receive a 75% Iowa tax credit, or 75 cents back for every dollar you contribute on your Iowa tax return. The 75% STO tax credit is the only tax credit of its kind, and it reduces the amount of taxes you pay to the state of Iowa at tax time. If you want to learn more about how to turn your taxes into tuition, call the school office or go to OurFaithSTO.org.

Donate Today!

St. Teresa received $120,200 in tuition assistance for the 2023-2024 school year from STO.