Weekly Newsletter

With Catholic Schools Week right around the corner, we are filled with gratitude for the gift of our Catholic community and the opportunity to celebrate our shared faith, values, and commitment to excellence in education. This week is a special time to reflect on how our school is not just a place of learning but a community rooted in Christ, where faith and knowledge grow hand in hand.

We invite you to participate in these events, celebrate your child’s achievements, and share in the joy of being part of our vibrant Catholic school family. Your support and dedication are what make this community strong, and together we will continue to build a foundation of faith and learning for our children.

Thank you for choosing a Catholic education for your family. We look forward to celebrating with you!

It’s time to support Parent Club and sign up for Pizza for the second half of the school year! We will continue to offer large size pizza slices from Zeeks Pizza in pepperoni or cheese for $3 a slice on Tuesdays. This sign up is for the second half of the year (18 weeks) and will start on Tuesday January 28th.

Please have your orders in by January 24th. A friendly reminder that your child may need some sides to go along with their pizza - we don’t want any hungry kiddos.

https://st-catherine-parent-club.square.site/

Please reach out if you have any questions PriscillaFellows@gmail.com

Father Daughter Dance is coming soon! Mark your calendar to dance the night away on February, 1st from 6:00 - 9:00. Keep your eyes open for a registration link! Event details are in the flier below.

Sign up to help here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4EA8AF23A6FA7-47104524-father#/

Grandfriends Lunch is coming on Friday, March 28! Grandparents or grandfriends are invited to join children for Mass, classroom tours and catered lunch in Victoria Hall. This event is for preschool through 8th grade. Mass will begin at 11:00am followed by tours and lunch after the noon dismissal.

Tickets will be available soon, but in the meantime, please email photos of students with their grandfriends to stcatherinegrandfriendphotos@gmail.com - pictures will be shown in a slideshow during the event.

Our next Parent Ed Speaker on January 16th at 12pm PST is Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D. who is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and world authority on ADHD. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Tulane Medical School, and was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 years. He is the founder of The Hallowell ADHD Centers in Boston MetroWest, New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Seattle.

Dr. Hallowell has spent the past four decades helping thousands of adults and children live happy and productive lives through his strengths-based approach to neurodiversity, and has ADHD and dyslexia himself.

Winter MAP Testing began yesterday and goes through the end of the month. Makeups will take place throughout the testing period. Students in 1st-8th grades will take the math test and students in 1st-5th grade will also take the reading test. Data from MAP tests is important for monitoring student progress, assessing growth, and providing instruction that continues to meet individual student needs. You will not receive a report with your child's winter MAP test scores, but will see these scores included on the report sent in Spring 2025 after spring testing.

Please help make sure your child gets a good night's rest the night before each test and a filling breakfast that morning. See testing dates below. Please let your child's homeroom teacher know if your child will be absent, late, or leaving early on any of these days. Email Ms. Elsner (celsner@stcatherineschool.net) if you have any questions.

1st Grade Math - Tue 1/21-Wed 1/22

1st Grade Reading - Tue 1/28 and Fri 1/31

2nd-5th Grade Reading - varies by class, week of 1/20

Date: Saturday, February 8th, 2025

Time: 5:00 - 8:30 PM

Location: St. Catherine Gym - Victoria Hall

To attend your child must be at fully potty trained and able to use the bathroom by themselves.

Use the button below to register:

The Yearbook staff needs your help. Please send any pictures you take throughout the school year to yearbook@stcatherineschool.net to be included in the yearbook. As always, we need your help documenting out of school events like CYO Sports, Harvest Festival, and eventually things like Ski Bus and the Christmas Program. Thank you for your help!

We are reaching for the stars and Soaring to New Heights! We need YOU to help us get there!

It's time to contribute exciting auction items that will help us soar to new possibilities for our school. Your generous donations make a huge impact — we can’t do it without you!

Aim high! Think of fun experiences - special dinners, sports tickets, vacation homes.

Be Creative: Have a hidden talent, craft, or connection? Offer something that reflects the spirit and energy of our school. Your creative and generous donations make all the difference!

Mark Your Calendar: All donations need to be submitted by March 8th.

With your help, we can elevate our fundraising efforts and continue to provide an outstanding educational experience for all our students. Let’s make this year’s auction truly take flight!

We can’t wait to see the amazing items you’ll donate! The Sky's the limit!

Donate today! | Sponsor Today!

MINECRAFT MODDING
Grades 3-5
Mon, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Jan 13 - Mar 31
no class on Jan 20, Feb 17
$259 / 10-week session

Calling all Minecrafters! Join us in this course to build Minecraft mods (modifications) while learning coding. With a drag-and-drop coding environment, students learn coding concepts, such as Variables, Conditionals, and Loops. They apply the concepts to personalize the game with custom world maps, new items, chat commands, and mini-games! It will be an exciting journey of coding and creativity!

REGISTRATIONS: www.codingwithkids.com/session/71386

LITTLE CODERS: MINECRAFT MODDING
Grades 1-2
Tue, 3:15 PM-4:15 PM
Jan 14 - Apr 1
no class on Feb 18
$285 / 11-week session

Unleash your creativity while customizing your beloved game, Minecraft! In this course, students will learn fundamental coding concepts like Sequence and Loops. They'll apply these skills to create exciting projects, such as building their own zoo, aquarium, dazzling diamond house, and even code a magic wand. Get ready to embark on a journey to code your very own Minecraft mods!

REGISTRATIONS: www.codingwithkids.com/session/71385

QUESTIONS? Email Coding with Kids at info@codingwithkids.com

This is a friendly reminder that all families with students in grades K-8 are required to complete 40 volunteer hours between July 2024 to June 2025. 5 of the total 40 hours are required to be given to the annual auction.

To help us keep track of your contributions, we kindly ask that you submit any completed hours after each trimester. Please fill out the Volunteer Hours Reporting Form and send it to cvanhollebeke@stcatherineschool.net.

Mission & Philosophy

St. Catherine of Siena Parish School is a welcoming, Christ-centered community, rooted in the Catholic faith and inspired by Gospel values. As an extension of the parish and with Jesus as our model, we are dedicated to lifelong growth in faith, love, and learning.

We recognize that the care and education of the child begins with the family and that parents are the primary educators of their children. In partnership with parents, we work to promote our students’ achievement and spiritual growth. Together we are committed to developing responsible, ethical leaders who think critically, act justly, communicate effectively, and serve willingly.

Vision

We are committed to providing a faith-filled, inclusive, and welcoming learning environment for all our students. Through our rigorous academic programs, our students will gain the cognitive, technological, and social skills necessary to become ethical, innovative leaders who successfully navigate the complex challenges of today’s world.