Weekly Update

The joy of discovery that moment when hope and expectation were gloriously met by the illumination of one bright star.

We cannot imagine what words were spoken by visitors or if first impressions left them somewhat confused.

Messiah, Savior, a King born in the barest of palaces.

Yet they saw and fell down on their knees in adoration.

Lord, they saw you and knew whom they had met.

As we meet around crib, candle, or advent wreath draw us into that stable in our imagination.

In the quiet moments of prayer this Christmas, that brief oasis from the bustle of the world bring alive to us the smell of the hay, the sound of the animals, the cry of a baby.

Draw us close to our Savior, Messiah, and King as we bring not Gold, Myrrh or Frankincense but the gift of our lives, the only offering we can bring.

Please remember to encourage your child to do good deeds at home to earn money for a child in need. The information was sent home in November with the envelope. For every $25 donated, a shoebox will be purchased, filled, and shipped to a child in need.

Attached is the flyer that went home.

All ornaments and money in the envelope should be returned TOMORROW.

Students are learning all about different countries and how they celebrate Jesus' birth.

Throughout Advent we will learn about some of these different traditions and customs.

Here are the countries for the 4th week of Advent.

ADVENT WEEK FOUR

December 20 Spain

Preparations for Christmas in Spain start on December 8. They focus on the story of Jesus’ birth and don’t receive their Christmas gifts until January 6, Epiphany, when the Wise Men brought gifts to the Baby Jesus. On Christmas Day, Spaniards visit family, have a feast, and then go outside to swing and sing carols.

December 21 Bethlehem

Thousands of tourists travel to Bethlehem every year to visit the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square, the place it is believed that Jesus was born. The Catholics that live in Bethlehem pray that Christians all over the world will go to Mass more throughout the year than just Christmas.

December 22 Mexico

Christmas celebrations in Mexico are centered around Jesus’ birth. They build nativity scenes and place Baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve. Many people also partake in a tradition called Las Posadas, where groups of people wander from house to house dressed in Nativity costumes looking for a warm place to stay, just like Mary and Joseph. When they are finally welcomed in, they have a party to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.

Holy Trinity Christmas Concert is Monday, December 20th.

We will have an afternoon concert at 1:00 P.M. and an evening concert at 5:30 P.M.

The afternoon concert will not have our 3K and 4K students performing. They will perform at the evening concert at 5:30.

There will be a few pre-concert performances beginning a half an hour prior to the concert. Ten minutes before the concert we will have the 5K students perform the Nativity for us.

Dress: Please dress nicely in Mass clothes.

School doors will open at 5:00 P.M. Please arrive between 5 and 5:15 to drop your child off and then you can find a spot to sit in church. 5K parents please watch for an email from Mrs. Simon regarding a time to be here to prepare for the Nativity.

After the concert, students can be picked up in the church basement. Please go down to the church basement to find your child.

If we could have a couple people help to move the risers, piano, and instruments back to school, that would be great! Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who helped put the concert together! We are looking forward to being together to celebrate Christmas with our Holy Trinity Family!

Fun “Christmas Sweater” Day

All students and staff are invited to wear a fun Christmas sweater or shirt on Wednesday, December 22. Red/Green outfits are also acceptable.

There is no school on Thursday, December 23rd-Sunday, January 2nd.

Have a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!

Catholic Schools Week is January 30th-February 5th.

Home and School will be having a Chili Dinner on Sunday, January 30th. Watch for more details on this. If you are interested in helping with the Chili Dinner please reach out to Courtney Gruber at craeg05@gmail.com.

Catholic Schools Week 2021-2022

Theme: “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.”

Catholic schools have a specific purpose to form students to be good citizens of the world, love God and neighbor, and enrich society with the leaven of the Gospel and by example of faith.

As communities of faith, Catholic schools instill in students their destiny to become saints. Academic excellence is the hallmark of Catholic education intentionally directed to the growth of the whole person-mind, body, and spirit. Finally, service is fundamental to Catholic education and the core of Catholic discipleship. Service is intended to help form people who are not only witnesses to Catholic social teaching, but also active participants through social learning.

The CSW logo emphasizes that the Catholic school, like the Catholic Church, is not a building or an institution, but it is the people. As the people of God, we work together to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth and raise up the next generation to do the same. The image of teachers and students forming the foundation of the school shows that they are active people of faith who serve others and God. May we all strive to live in active service of Jesus and his mission as we nationally join together during Catholic Schools Week and always.

Attached is the lunch menu for January!

Holy Trinity Catholic School is looking for adults interested in substitute teaching. If you are interested, please contact the office. We have a Substitute Teacher Handbook with information regarding substitute teaching available along with an application that can be filled out. We would love to have you come and help out!

% Positive Out: 0.65%

% Out due to quarantine: 1.97%

Please continue to closely monitor your family for symptoms of COVID. We are still seeing illnesses occurring in school.

The Holy Trinity families have been doing well in keeping kids home when ill. Please do not let up and notify us right away. We encourage you to have a negative COVID test or doctor's note when you return as there are many different illnesses occurring.

This has been our best mitigation yet! – Closely monitor, track, and isolate the situation so that it does not spread to others.

COVID Mitigation Protocols. Attached are the COVID protocols that were emailed home.

If you would like the advisory committee to discuss anything, please email at advisorycommittee@htschool.net

December 9th - Felipe Ambas

December 10th - Cheri Manthei

December 13th - Stacy Malnory

December 14th - Natalie Knorr

December 15th - Keith Boegel

CONGRATULATIONS!

December 17th - Envelopes and Money due for Operation Christmas Shoebox

December 20th - Christmas Concert, 1PM and 5:30 PM

December 22nd - Las Posadas

December 23rd- No School, Christmas Break Begins

January 20th- Semester Ends. Watch for date on Kindergarten Report Cards going home.

June 1st - 8th Grade Graduation

Inside our school building we have many Advent and Christmas activities taking place. We have trees and mangers set up. We have the Advent candles of hope, love, peace, and joy in the halls and in the classrooms. Our hallways and classrooms have become an overwhelming sight and the joy of the Lord surrounds us deeply this Advent Season! I can assure you that your children are blessed to be here and our school is blessed to have them.

We need and want our school open for all to experience this wonder. Holy Trinity is an unbelievable place where families become connected. Our greatest connection is to God and to our faith followed by our common desire to bring hope, love, peace and joy to our children by a Catholic school education. For those who are new to our school, we hope you can taste and feel that Holy Trinity is a place unlike any other.

On behalf of all faculty and staff, we wish you a holy, happy and healthy holiday! We are thankful for your attendance, your participation, your support, and your generosity to our school, to our students, and to our entire staff. We are proud to be able to offer a Catholic education to the families of Holy Trinity and St. Michael and the surrounding Catholic communities along with those who enroll with us from the other faith denominations of our area. Blessings to all as we end 2021 and look forward to 2022!

Jesus is the reason for this school!

Merry Christmas,

Mrs. Longden

Email: holytrinityschool@htschool.net
Website: http://www.htschool.net
Location: 305 Main St Kewaskum, WI 53040
Phone: (262)626-2603