The Hornet's Buzz

December 6, 2024

Dear Holy Cross Community.

Happy Advent! It is the season of hope, love, joy, and peace—the virtues Jesus gave us. Seeing our wonderful students, faculty, and staff back on campus was lovely. Their smiles most certainly brightened our days.

A million thanks for your generous contributions to our Red Bag drive. I am heartened and inspired by the kindness of this community!

We welcomed the Advent season with an all-school Wreath Blessing ceremony, presided over by Father Abner and led by Grade 8 students, who shared a beautiful message of love, reminding us how God watches over and protects us.

We have several events in the upcoming weeks. An overview can be found below.

FastBridge Testing (K-8)

We use FastBridge to support screening and progress monitoring in reading and math. Our second round of FastBridge testing will occur between December 9 and December 16. Students will take these assessments in their classrooms.

Please help your student to do their best on their assessments by:

• Making sure that they get a good night's sleep
• Having breakfast each morning
• Arriving at school on time
• Making sure Grades 2-8 students have headphones
• Encouraging your children to do their best effort

Christmas Program

It will take place on Tuesday, December 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Gym. Students should arrive no later than 6:10 a.m. I look forward to seeing you then!

Our Lady of Guadalupe Prayer Service. Join us on Thursday, December 12, at 8:30 am in the Gym.

Celebration

At the heart of a successful school is an engaged and strong community that comes together to serve our students best. We wholeheartedly invite you to share your God-given gifts of Time, Treasure, and Talent in service of our school and Parish this school year. We have many opportunities for involvement and look forward to your wonderful contributions. We are actively seeking volunteers for:

• Leading Volunteer needs. Please email me if you can support these needs.

Thank you for your continued partnership. May God's abundant blessings be with you during this Advent Season.

Paola V. Clark, Ed.D.

Principal

Please help us prioritize the safety and security of our students and staff. A reminder that parking is not permitting in the Tree lot during school hours. If you need to park and come in to the school, please use the front parking by the main office. Also, only turn right onto 95th when exiting the parking lot. All visitors must stop by the front office to check in.

The Student-Parent Handbook for 2024-25 can be accessed here. Please note that as part of our continuous improvement efforts, this is a living document that will be revised as needed in order to nimbly respond to any needs that may arise. Any edits will appear in a different font color.

December 9 - Immaculate Conception | Holy day of obligation

December 9 -16 - FastBridge Testing (K-8)

December 10 - Christmas Program

December 12 - Our Lady of Guadalupe

Education in Virtue is the Archdiocesan Catholic Social-Emotional Learning program, a key component of our Virtuous Formation Program. It provides a curriculum and resources developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based on St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings on the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. These resources provide a framework for helping people of all ages understand how to live more virtuously.

At Holy Cross, we highlight a virtue each month that is woven organically into lessons and our daily school life. They are used in our announcements to guide our morning prayer, selection of the Saint of the Month, activities for our Faith Families, and classroom lessons. The virtue of December is Generosity.

Our regular office hours are as follows. Please note that the school office will be closed during holidays and school year breaks.

Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Noon dismissal: 7:30 am - 12:00 pm

Your students' classroom teachers are the best point of contact for any student matters. Our team will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. Please note that it may take up to two business days to respond as our faculty and staff tend to students and duties throughout the day. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

In an emergency, please call or email the Front Office at gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com, and we will assist.

Advent Resources

• Advent Calendar (USCCB)
  
• Blessing of an Advent Wreath
  
• Resources for Advent (Hallow)

Hornet spirit wear with this year's theme is available for purchase. The Holiday Sale at 1st Place Spiritwear has begun!

Holiday Sale Info