Holy Family School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well. I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and partnership in our school community. As we approach Christmas, we deliberate and prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus, the Newborn King. While we reflect with our own hearts during this season of sharing, December is a great time to incorporate the character traits of being Kind and Caring. I also encourage you to have conversations with your children about kindness and how we can all treat one another with respect and compassion. These discussions are vital in fostering a positive school environment. As students get excited about Christmas, we may see some atypical behaviors appear. We look to parents for support in these very important conversations and help in supporting appropriate behavior.

We are excited about our upcoming Christmas Pageant, "The Next Noel." It will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talents and celebrate the holiday spirit together. The students and teachers have all been working hard to provide you with yet another touching performance that will prepare your heart for the true meaning of Christmas! Students may leave with their parents after the afternoon performance, but must notify the school or send a note to school ahead of time. As always this is to ensure the safety of everyone.

As we embrace the colder weather, I want to remind everyone about the importance of dressing warmly for school. Please ensure your child is prepared for the winter months ahead.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a joyous holiday season! God Bless all of you during this Christmas Season!!

Peace and Blessings,
Lisa Otte

The Holy Family School will take place on Thursday, December 12. Please click the button below for details on the pageant, including when students should arrive for their performances.

Just a reminder that all Calendar Raffle tickets are due by 9:00 AM on December 17. This fundraiser is essential in helping HFS keep tuition costs low and reaching our overall school budget. During the December Board meeting, one ticket will be drawn for each day of the 2025 calendar year. That ticket is then returned to the barrel for the next calendar day giving each ticket holder 365 chances to win. Prizes are $20 per day or $75 on special feast days throughout the year and $200 for two special holidays. More details on these days can be found on the front of the raffle ticket.

Each family recieved seven tickets with your oldest child. We ask and encourage you to sell all seven tickets. Additional tickets may be picked up from the school or parish offices. All tickets, sold AND unsold must be returned to the HFS office no later than 9:00 AM on December 17th.

Thank you in advance for your support with this fundraiser!

During the month of December, we will be celebrating the season with some fun, fesitve dress up days. Please note that dressing up is not required. If your child(ren) would like to dress up, the theme for each day can be found on the picture below. A copy was also sent home with your child this week.

Please help us welcome Kierra Hellermann to our HFS family! Kierra will be joining HFS as a 5th grade teacher beginning in January after Christmas break. Thank you to Mrs. Kohorst for stepping in for the first half of the school year!

This month we will talk about attendance and the importance of students being present at school.

Regular attendance is important because students are more likely to succeed in academics when they attend school consistently. It’s hard for the teacher and the students to build their skills and progress if students are frequently absent.

Schools are accountable to the County Attorney for our students' attendance. We are required to notify them when a student has 5 unexcused absences and then again when they reach 7 unexcused absences.

Janelle Kendall is the Stearns County Attorney and the following is a letter from her outlining her expectations for a student's attendance. Following her letter is a copy of Holy Family Schools attendance policy from the current student handbook.

Please review both so that you are aware of the attendance policy. You can reach out to the school if you have any questions.

School attendance is mandatory in the State of Minnesota for good reason - children cannot achieve success without the benefits of education. Unfortunately, educational neglect robs children of potential and leads to disastrous consequences including criminal activity, drug use, and teenage pregnancy. Research documents that a community's response to truancy and educational neglect must be immediate, proactive, and thorough.

Truancy Mediation Program (TMP)

That is why the Stearns County Attorney's Office with Stearns County Human Services has established the Truancy Mediation Program (TMP). The TMP is based on extensive research and includes components from successful statewide and national truancy programs. Working collaboratively with families, social workers, school professionals, and other community members, the TMP aims to stop truancy in its tracks by incorporating the entire community into the solution to end educational neglect and truancy.

A child's first years of school are extremely important. All children deserve the opportunity to obtain a solid education to ensure preparedness for the future. The greater a family's commitment to a child's education, the greater likelihood a child will stay clear from harmful at risk activities. For these reasons, the TMP is designed to immediately respond to educational neglect, proactively identify barriers to a child's school attendance, and thoroughly implement an individualized intervention that provides appropriate incentives and penalties.

A family's commitment to education is extremely important - important to the child's success, and important for the success of the whole community!

Minnesota law recognizes the importance of school attendance and requires all children between ages 7 and 17 to attend school. Children under age 7 who are enrolled in school are also subject to Minnesota's compulsory attendance law. It is a parent's legal responsibility to enroll their children in school in accordance with Minnesota law. For children under the age of 12, parents are legally charged with making sure that their children attend school unless lawfully excused.

Parents often have questions about when a child can legally miss school.

Examples of Excused Absences Include

• Extreme Family Emergency

• Medical or Mental Health Appointments

• Religious Holidays

• Sickness

Examples of Unexcused Absences Include

• Babysitting

• Cold weather

• Missing the bus

• Need to sleep for work

• Oversleeping

Parents are encouraged to consult with schools and ask questions about a school's attendance policy.

Consequences to Parents for Educational Neglect

Minnesota law requires that a school send written notice to parents when a child has missed more than three full days of elementary school or three or more class periods on three days if the child is in middle or junior high school. School officials may also require a meeting with a parent to discuss the reasons behind absences and to assist parents in finding a solution to the attendance problem. A school may also evaluate what are contributing factors to a student's absences and offer appropriate services or make a referral to another community based agency.

In Minnesota, a child under the age of 12 is considered truant if they miss a total of 7 unexcused days in a school year. When this occurs, a school is legally required to make an educational neglect report to the Stearns County Family and Children's Services Division. When this occurs, Human Services will screen the report for a Child Protection Family Assessment or a Child Maltreatment Investigation. At the completion of the assessment and investigation, a Truancy Diversion Conference Contract will be explained to a parent/guardian. When a parent/guardian signs the contract, Human Services will send the school and the Stearns County Attorney's Office notification that the contract has been signed.

If the assessment/investigation results in a finding of educational neglect, the case may be open for either: voluntary services to the family, or referral to the County Attorney's Office for legal action in juvenile court. Legal action can and usually does result in a court order directing the parents to take appropriate action to ensure regular school attendance. If a child's attendance does not improve, a parent may face a more severe legal consequence. For the most egregious cases, a court may order a child's legal custody be transferred to Human Services to address concerns about educational neglect.

Students being absent or tardy causes problems for both the students and the teachers. The purpose of this policy is to encourage regular school attendance and punctuality. It is the student's responsibility to make up assignments, projects and tests that were missed during the absence.

Families must inform the school office by 8:15 on the day of the absence, if your child is absent or tardy for any reason. This can be an email, a phone call, or a voice mail to the school secretary or you may submit notification through the JMC app. Please give your child’s name, grade and reason for absence. If we are not contacted by 8:15, families will receive a call from the school. This is to guarantee your child’s safety.

Excused and Unexcused Absences/Tardies

There are two types of absences/tardies – excused and unexcused. The school office staff has the final say on the type selected.

• Examples of Excused Absences/Tardies: Illness, funeral, doctor appointment, dentist appointment, orthodontist appointment, vacation when the school secretary is notified at least 24 hours in advance or family emergency.
• Examples of Unexcused Absences/Tardies: Overslept, too tired, missed the bus, refused to go to school, attending or participating in a sporting event or non-sponsored school activity. Note – unexcused absences may result in truancy; also the office may contact the family to create a plan to eliminate unexcused absence/tardiness. See below.

Absence due to illness

• If a child is ill for one day, please do not call for make-up work. Let the child rest, recover and return to school to get any missed work the following day.
• If a child will be absent longer than one day, families should contact the child’s teacher. Teachers will decide which items may be given during the absence, which would be made up after the absence, and which things will be omitted.

Absence due to vacation

• Vacations taken while school is in session are strongly discouraged.
• If a family takes a vacation while school is in session, the school office must be informed at least 24 hours before the planned absence.
• It is the practice of Holy Family School that teachers are not required to give out assignments in advance. It is at the teacher's discretion as to what will be sent ahead of time and what will be required to be completed upon the child’s return.

Tardy/Truant

Students who have unexcused absences and/or excessive tardiness are considered truant. Truancy is against the law. Students with excessive unexcused absences/tardies may be referred to the county. The county may choose to file an Educational Neglect Petition. Amount of time tardy is calculated into absent days. Social Services may be contacted after 7 unexcused days.

Dismissal during the school day

Students with scheduled dental or medical appointments must present a note to his/her teacher or the office no later than the morning of the appointment. The information will be printed on the attendance record for the day. Leaving school during the day is allowed only with a parent note, phone call or email explaining the reason. Parents or guardians must sign out their child when leaving from school and sign them back in when returning.

Medical Appointments

If your child has a medical appointment during the day, you will need to bring a doctor's note (available at any clinic front desk receptionist) to the main office for the appointment to be considered excused. Most clinics/offices are aware of this need and are more than happy to provide a letter.

Scheduling Outside Non-medical Appointments

All outside appointments (for example, hair cuts, etc.) should be scheduled outside of school hours.

(State guidelines recommend that a child in elementary school miss no more than 7 days during a school year except for serious illnesses.)

If grades drop due to absenteeism, students may also be prohibited from going on to the next grade level.

Parents are responsible for checking grades on JMC throughout the school year. If you have questions or concerns on your child's grades, please reach out to that teacher. There are multiple ways to check grades. They can be viewed by logging in to JMC on a desktop version or through the JMC Family App. Below are steps to view grades for each option.

Just a reminder, there is an HFS specific login screen. Click the box below to be brought to the HFS JMC login screen.

1. Log in to the JMC family app
2. Click on the graduation cap at the bottom
3. In the top menu row, click on "grades"
4. Click on your child
5. You can see grades here but you can further see assignments by clicking on the subject. (Note: once you can view assignments, scroll to the right to view any comments.

1. Log into JMC from a desktop computer or mobile device
2. In the dashboard, click "Academics"
3. Click "Progress Reports"

1. Log into JMC Family and head to to Report Card/Transcript > Report Card.
2. Click the drop-down list and select a student to view report cards for each student in your family.
3. The school, student's name and grade, the student's term GPA, cumulative GPA and year GPA, attendance information, and advisor will be listed across the top section of the report card for the selected student.
4. Click the "Print" button to print a copy of the student's report card.

1. Log in to JMC from a desktop computer or select login on a desktop version if using a mobile device.
2. In the dashboard, click on "Report Card/Transcript"
3. Click on "Standards & Benchmarks Report Card"
   
4. Select the student name from the student drop-down
5. Change Term Type to "Quarters" and select quarter 1
6. Under form size, select the "Use Form Setting" radio button.
7. A report card will be downloaded for you to view and/or print

Wishing you a season of joy, love, and blessings as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. May this Christmas be a time of renewed faith, reflection, and a reminder of the true meaning of this beautiful holiday. Sending warmest wishes for a Merry Christmas filled with cherished moments and divine blessings.

Ms. Otte and HFS Staff

This week we held our monthly all-school assembly to recognice those students who were chosen for showing "Thankfulness" throughout the month of November. This month's winners are:

Back Row from Left: Lexi B (4), Jaxon J (5), Ethan R (5), Levi M (6), Laura H (6)

Middle Row from Left: Ms. Otte, Joe D (2), Braelynn B (3), Bella M (3), Brooklyn K (3), Elle R (4)

Front Row from Left: Owen K (1), Addilyn H (K), Lenore F (K), Luke S (1)

December is a great time to incorporate the character traits of being Kind and Caring.

How do we teach children to care? How do we teach them to be empathetic, kind, sharing, and helpful? These behaviors do not come naturally to young children but a loving nature does. Our job is to help them integrate this loving nature with caring behaviors as they grow and mature, and face bigger challenges in the world. As with the other character traits, children model what they see, so we must be careful to show them these caring behaviors in our own lives as we interact with them, other people, animals, and the environment.

Young children are naturally egocentric, more concerned with themselves, and tend to think that everything revolves around them. Helping them understand another person’s feelings and perspective takes a lot of talking to them about feelings and how we don’t all feel the same about everything. One fun way to do this is to mute the TV sound during a show or commercials and focus on the faces and body language of the actors and actresses. Ask your child, “What is that person feeling right now?”, “How can you tell?” As you talk with them, they will begin to understand what feelings “look like”, and they will realize that we all have them. Feelings are powerful reasons for how we think and act.

With Advent and the Christmas Season upon us, students are encouraged to prepare their hearts spiritually and identify acts of kindness and caring and ways that they can show this to others. I appreciate your partnership in teaching our children the importance of being Kind and Caring.

We want to say Thank You to all the parents who have been bringing in treats for the staff at HFS. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Please watch page 3 of the Sauk Centre Herald for weekly happenings at Holy Family School. Thank you to Felling Trailers, Polipnick Insurance, Daniel B. Borgmann Ltd, Dan Welle Chrysler GM and Klaphake Farms for sponsoring this weekly section in the newspaper.

We hope you are able to utilize JMC efficiently. Please note that while they DO have a family app, there will be different information available when logging in on a desktop computer (or desktop version on a mobile device).

Below is a video that we invite you to watch to inform you of everything that is available for you on the JMC Family App - there is also a link to a document that outlines the app. (If you need the HFS JMC pin, please use 0739.

https://youtu.be/9cTB1YXquqI?si=a-iGmr2v_d52SM4v

Discovering jmc Family

After watching the video, login to JMC Family (here is a link to a video that will help you if you have problems):

Logging into the jmc Family portal

Just a reminder, your login username is (in most cases) your last name. If you do not remember your password, click "Forgot Password" and you will be redirected to set up a new password.

Once you log in, we highly recommend that you turn on customized alerts so that you can receive notifications for different messages or grade changes. Below is a link to set up these customized alerts:

Set family alert configurations in jmc Family

Please watch future newsletters for more helpful tips on using JMC and the JMC Family app!