God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,

though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;

though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;

God will help it when the morning dawns.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

- Psalm 46

Dear Bruin Family,

Thank you to all who attended our Back to School BBQ! It was certainly one for the record books with the high temperatures but it was fantastic to see our community come together and celebrate nonetheless! I also want to thank all who attended or ordered out for our Family Spirit night at Baby Bros Pizza. The food was great and the company of our school community was even better!

We hope you can join us this Sunday for the Family Mass at 9:30am. Our students will serve as lectors, ushers, and altar servers and our teachers will be officially commissioned as Catechists. Students who attend in uniform will receive a free dress pass! We also have our first Spirit Week approaching which is full of fun dress up days, mass, and our first Spirit Rally. I can't wait to see which house comes out victorious!

Finally, I want to encourage everyone to register for Football Mania. This is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and I am hopeful that we will make a concerted effort to sell even more tickets this year. We have some incentives in place (see the email with the newsletter link) and will be announcing more soon! We thank you in advance for your participation and support.

Please continue to keep the men and women fighting the local fires in your prayers as well as all those affected by loss of business or residence.

Have a blessed weekend!

Sincerely,

Mr. Ryan Nearhoff

Congratulations to all of our students on completing their first STAR tests of the school year! Our faculty and staff will work together at our meeting next week to analyze the data gathered in this first assessment to help form our instructional decisions going forward. Please note that while we value what is gained from this data it is not our sole means for learning about our students and what they need in the classroom.

Students were all sent home this week with a form that allows parents to login and monitor AR goals as well as sign up for email updates with testing reports. Click the link below to login. You will need the login information on the sheet provided to access their accounts. If you misplaced this please let us know and we will provide a new one.

Finally, the video below helps to explain the data gathered in the assessments. In the video they are reviewing a Parent Report. You will be provided with this report at Parent/Teacher conferences in November. If you wish to see any parent reports before then, please contact Mr. Nearhoff or Mrs. Chidester and we can provide them for you.

We now have our counselors on campus Monday through Thursday! If you desire that your child see the counselor, please email them at the addresses below.

We are about to kick off our first big fundraiser of the year, Football Mania, and we are committed to increasing participation and selling more tickets to benefit our students and our school! Part of our effort to increase participation involves an incentive for our students AND our parents. By next Friday, September 20th, the class with the most parents who have set up their fundraising page (with at least 75% of parents registered) will receive a free dress day and 15 minutes of extra lunch! Parents, everyone who has set up their fundraising page by the 1:00pm on the 20th will receive one hour toward your volunteer service hour goal!! Thank you in advance for your support and participation!

This week we will welcome EPIC Programs on campus on Thursday and Friday for the first week of their six-week program. Classes will be held in the Art Room. Students who are participating will be taken to the art room after dismissal and supervised until class begins. If you have not yet registered, there is still time! See the fliers below to register!

Our Youth Ministry Coordinator will be attending the Holy Fire Middle School event on Saturday, September 28th and wants to invite our St. Dorothy Middle Schoolers to attend as well!

At Holy Fire, middle school Catholics are invited and challenged to embrace their baptismal call and the powerful, relevant gospel of Jesus. Through talks by dynamic speakers, witness by peers, inspirational praise and worship, and rich experiences of the Sacraments, Holy Fire helps young people feel seen, welcomed, and invited into a life-changing commitment to Christ.

Hosted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and brought to you by the producers of NCYC, the nation’s largest Catholic youth event: the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, in partnership with Equipping the Saints, a division of Declan Weir Productions, Inc.

Featuring: Bishop Albert Bahhuth, Giancarlo Bernini, Maggie Craig, Noelle Garcia, and Thomas Muglia

Who: Middle School Youth
When: Saturday, September 28, 2024 - Meet at St. Dorothy at 7:30 am. The event is from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Mass will be held at 4:00 PM.
Where: St. John Eudes Parish, 9901 Mason Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311 (we will carpool to the event)
Cost: $60 per person. Please pay by clicking here. Switch to "One-time Gift" and select "Youth Ministry" in the drop down menu.
Forms: Please fill out the following forms in this link and submit them by September 20th.

Lunch will be provided at the event.

Holy Fire T-Shirts: T-Shirts are available for an additional $12. Please mark whether you would like a T-shirt.

Here is the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/EUqG1axY3b5ZmsvL9

Here is the link to pay: https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Giving/PS-1498

The St. Dorothy Catholic School apparel store is only open for a few more days! Don't miss the opportunity to snag your swag!

Click on the links below to sign up for regular volunteering opportunities to start completing those parent hours!

We will be kicking off our first Bruins Explore next Friday, 09/20 with a Craft and Car Racing. As of right now we are offering these once a month but we are looking for coordinators and volunteers to continue offering our Bruins Explore activities throughout the school year! A huge thank you to Mrs. Hnatiuk for organizing this highly successful program.

Please complete the PDF below and email or send to the office by Monday, 09/16 to register. If you are interested in leading a Bruins Explore Day, click the link below to sign up.

The Next Generation Parish: Called to Renew campaign is progressing wonderfully, with over 200 parishioner families participating in renewing and enhancing our parish church for the Next Generation of parishioners, our students. Together, we have pledged nearly 4 million towards this important initiative. Now is the time to submit your pledge card to the parish office and fulfill your pledge by making a gift online. Thank you to all who have pledged their support! For more information, visit the link below.

September 14-15 || Consider rules around school devices

If your child is using a tablet, iPad, or phone for school this year, you need to be aware of what they can access online. While many school devices may have safety controls in place, children are pretty creative, and may be able to maneuver around these safeguards. Consider making a “tech space” in your home, where all devices live when they are not in use — and make it centrally located, so you know whenever someone takes a device. Consider also having your children use their devices in the main area of the house, with supervision. For more information, read the VIRTUS® article “5 Keys to Monitoring Kids Online Activity” on lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

September 21-22 || Shop safely with your children

When you are with your children in a crowded shopping area — think mall, grocery store, farmer’s market — it is important to have a plan of action to keep your group together and your children safe. Keep children as close as possible, ideally either in a cart or holding hands. Always go as a group to the bathroom, or at least in pairs, and have a designated spot to meet back up. For more tips, visit missingchildrensnetwork.ngo.

To educate TK-Eighth grade students in a Catholic environment in which the curriculum emphasizes spiritual, ethical, and social values of the Catholic faith to become responsible and moral citizens within the global community.

Supporting the belief that parents are the primary educators of their children, we as educators at St. Dorothy Catholic School, dedicate ourselves to partner with the parents in preparing children to become contributing members of the community. To achieve this, we provide holistic development in psychological, emotional, social and physical health, with an emphasis on academics, faith, and Christian service.

In collaboration with parents, we champion student achievement through the presentation, practice, and study of Catholic doctrine, a strong academic curriculum, multimedia and multi-cultural experiences, physical education, extracurricular programs, and the dedicated commitment of the teachers and staff.

Email: info@stdorothyschool.com

Website: www.stdorothyschool.com
Location: 215 South Valley Center Avenue, Glendora, CA, USA
Phone: (626) 335-0772