Dear Lord, use my eyes to see new friends.
Open my ears to hear my teacher.
Open my mind to learn new things.
Let my heart remember you are near when I'm afraid.
Help me to love others like you do.
I want to shine your light so bright in my school.
Amen.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him."

– James 1:5

Dear Bruin Family,

After nearly two weeks of prepping classrooms, processing enrollments, and planning lessons our teachers and staff gathered yesterday to talk about the year ahead, our mission as educators at SDCS, how to better achieve our critical goals, and our theme for the 24/25 school year, "Be A Champion". With this theme we are calling all teachers, students, and you the parents to consistently put their very best self forward while simultaneously focusing on serving others and being a champion for each student, friend, and child.

Today our teachers gathered for a faculty retreat to reflect on what Jesus has called each of us to do as educators at St. Dorothy Catholic School. Rest assured that we were lifting our students and families up in prayer as we attended morning mass and throughout our retreat.

We are eagerly anticipating seeing our students on Monday, August 19th for the Supply Drop off and to begin our year on Tuesday, August 20th for the first day of school! Gates open at 7:45am. See below for more details and upcoming events.

Have a blessed and relaxing weekend! May you enjoy some special time with your little ones before they begin their school year!

Sincerely,

Mr. Ryan Nearhoff

We will be making a change to our weekly schedule for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Beginning August 30th, we will end our school day at 1:00pm every Friday. This change is being implemented to improve student learning by allowing our faculty and staff adequate time for weekly meetings, professional development, STAR data analysis, instructional planning, and more. Please note that despite the early release, we are ensuring that we are still within the ADLA guidance for required weekly instructional minutes.

Bruin Club will still be offered immediately following school on Fridays with the exception of certain special days throughout the year (usually before a holiday). In addition, we are excited to continue offering our Bruins Explore program. This program is run by parent volunteers and comes at a low cost to all who wish to participate.

We recognize that this may prove difficult for working families and we want to provide as much support as possible as you adjust your schedules for Friday pickup. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Nearhoff at rnearhoff@stdorothyschool.com

As per the handbook, school instruction time begins promptly at 8:15am. This means that all students should be in their classrooms at 8:15am. Our carline gates will be closing at 8:10am. All students that arrive after 8:10am must enter through the office. Students that arrive in the office after 8:15am will be marked as tardy and be given a tardy slip.

On Monday, August 19th we welcome all families to come on campus and drop off their school supplies from 9:00-2:00pm. This is a great opportunity to take some stress away from the first day of school as your students are able to come to the classroom, meet the teacher, see their desks, and drop off their supplies for the school year! If you are unable to make it, you are welcome to bring supplies on the first day of school.

Our Signup Genius links have been posted to the website and can be found below to sign up for regular volunteering opportunities including Cater Tots, Yard Duty, and Health Room attendant. Just click on the link and enter your name to start completing those parent hours! As a reminder, family members can complete hours on your behalf as long as they are fingerprinted and Virtus certified.

Though we have a uniform dress code at SDCS, we have many fun days throughout the year when students get to dress up for a cause, a holiday, or just for fun! In hopes that you can plan ahead we've provided a list of all dress up days for the year in the PDF below. Thank you to Ms. Ruiz and our Student Council for putting this together! Please note that normal "free" dress days are not included in this list. If there is a change to the list we will communicate with advanced notice of the change.

We are looking for coordinators and volunteers to continue offering our Bruins Explore activities throughout the school year! As coordinator, you will choose the activity for that week, plan, and oversee it. As a volunteer, you will assist the coordinator on that given Friday. Bruins Explore will be offered on Friday's after school this year. Snacks will be provided. Please contact Kathryn Hnatiuk with any questions via the SignUp Genius below. (Activity ideas: arts & crafts, STEM project, drama/theater, gardening... the possibilities are endless!) Please note: last year we had approximately 50 kids registered for each activity. This is a great opportunity to fulfill your hours while simultaneously offering our students extra-curricular development! We thank you for your willingness to contribute.

Interested in leading our Bruins to victory? Calling all coaches!!! We are in need of coaches for our sports programs throughout the school year. This is a great opportunity to share your talents with the athletes of tomorrow while simultaneously working toward your parent hours goal. If you are interested in helping out please contact our new Athletic Director, Mr. Paul Silva at coachpaul@stdorothyschool.com

All coaches must participate in the Play Like A Champion training course (link to register below), be Virtus certified, and be fingerprinted in the Archdiocese as a coach. Please note, if you are already fingerprinted as a parent volunteer, you will need a separate fingerprinting to be registered as a coach.

If you have any questions, please contact our Athletic Director or the school office. Thank you!

This year we are pleased to continue offering a music elective system for our 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. The purpose of the elective system is to allow students to choose which music discipline they would like to pursue based on their unique interests. This year we are offering the following options for our students:

• Choir
• String Ensemble (Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass)
• Music Appreciation

The biggest change this year comes with replacing our Modern Band course with the String Ensemble. This switch was made in order that we are better preparing our students for the music curriculum offered in our high schools. Ms. Na will speak with the students the first week of school to get them signed up but we are sending this out now in hopes that you can start to have a conversation with your child to gauge their interest. Please note that for the Choir and String Ensemble no previous experience is required. If you have questions please email Ms. Na at yna@stdorothyschool.com or Mr. Nearhoff at rnearhoff@stdorothyschool.com

Starting Friday, August 23rd and until September 15th, the Koala Apparel Store will be open online to purchase your favorite SDCS gear. Get your St. Dorothy Mom, Dad, or Grandparent shirts, hats, sweatshirts and more. A link will be provided in our next newsletter so that you can start shopping!

Click the links below for a PDF of the Supply Lists for each grade level as well as Uniform Requirements for the 2024/2025 School Year! I've also included a link for the CKW website to purchase new uniforms should you wish to purchase online. If you have any questions regarding supplies please contact the school office.

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 over $3.6 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.

Once a month, St. Dorothy Catholic School partners with the Religious Education department to present a Family Mass. In this Sunday mass, students are given the opportunity to serve in ministries typically reserved for our adult parishioners such as ushering and serving as lectors. We encourage all St. Dorothy Catholic School families to attend these masses as we continue to build community with our parish! See the 24/25 schedule below.

And now for some helpful parent information and some laughs! Got any good parenting tips or articles you want to share? Send them to Mr. Nearhoff for the next newsletter!

There is plenty going on around Glendora in the summer time! See below for some suggestions!

***Please note that there are changes in our Virtus Class schedule. These changes have been updated in our school calendar.

August 17-18 || What can you do to end human trafficking?

What do you do if you see a child who appears to be lost in a store? A missing child is everyone’s responsibility. Adults who suspect a child may be lost or need help should get involved. Ask the child if he needs help. Keep the child in eyesight and enlist the help of store employees to locate a parent or guardian. Wait with the child until help arrives. Do not leave with or without the child. For more information, visit the missingchildrensnetwork.ngo.

August 24-25 || Teach children to evaluate sources

Your children will likely spend a significant amount of time online. All sources are not created equal, so teaching them to evaluate the information online is critical. Using concepts appropriate for their age, teach your children to consider the expertise, motive, and relevance of the information they consume. Being able to separate fact from fiction, and to evaluate the quality of the information received, will help your children assess truth. For more tips, read the VIRTUS® article “Keeping Kids Safe Online By Teaching Them to Evaluate Sources” at lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

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