Monday Memo

Dear parents,

This summer the Archdiocese of Indianapolis will host a National Eucharistic Congress from July 17 - 21st at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. This gathering will include visitors from all over the country, including four groups of pilgrims who will have traveled from the north, south, east, and west, converging on Indianapolis by mid-July. These pilgrims are mostly college students who are mostly walking, sometimes riding, over two months to reach the Congress.

The group traveling from the west will reach Saint Susanna on July 14th. The parish is planning an arrival reception and dinner on the night of the 14th. On July 15th, we will join the pilgrims for morning mass at 8:00 AM and a period of outdoor adoration in front of the church immediately after mass. They will then continue their pilgrimage with their next stops at St. Joseph's and St. Anthony's. We are also invited to accompany them on their journey to St. Joseph's.

What can you do to support the pilgrims and share in their journey?

• Ask your students about the pilgrim they have adopted as a class. Each of our students has a prayer card for a pilgrim and we are praying for them as they start the journey next week.
• Check out the interactive map with your child to see where the pilgrims are on the journey to Indianapolis.
• Join the parish for dinner on July 14th to welcome the pilgrims to Saint Susanna.
• Join us for mass and/or adoration on the morning of July 15th to pray for the pilgrims and all who are gathering at the Congress.

As the end of the school year approaches, we ask parents to please look for St. Susanna library books to return and to pay off their children's lunch and EDM accounts. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

God bless, Janet Abdoulaye

Tuesday, May 14th

• 5th-grade field trip
• 3rd-grade animal presentations in the parish center

Wednesday, May 15th

• Field Day! Would any of you fathers be available to help grill this day from 10 AM until around 1:00 PM? Please sign up here.
• Early release at 2:50 PM

Thursday, May 16th

• All School Mass hosted by 4R
  

Friday, May 17th

• Color Run at 1:15 PM in the north parking lot
• 8th-grade class trip
• Teachers will communicate dress-down information
  

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Future Dates of Note:

• 5/21: 3rd-8th Grade Spring music concert at 6:30 PM in gym
  

• 5/21: 3rd Grade field trip

• 5/21: MS Out to Lunch

• 5/22: 8th Grade Graduation 6 pm

• 5/22: Middle School field trip

• 5/23: Last day of school: 1:20 pm dismissal (see below)

I grew up in Charleston, Illinois and will be moving to the Indianapolis area this summer after getting married! I am very excited to be joining St. Susana as a 5th grade teacher along with Mrs. Carlson!

I graduated from Indiana State University in the spring of 2023 with my Bachelor's in Education. I have previously taught one year in a 6th grade classroom in Charleston, Illinois.

My goal at St. Susanna is to show students how fun learning is as well as helping them grow in their faith while I grow in my own as well!

My name is Courtney Bex. I graduated from York College of Pennsylvania in December 2021 (who are also the Spartans!) This will be my third year working within the Archdiocese’s Schools! I was previously a pre-K assistant teacher and second-grade teacher. My husband and I recently welcomed our first baby, Siena Ann Bex, in April. I am so excited to join the St. Susanna family as a third-grade teacher working alongside Mrs. Rodebaugh! As my college said, “Once a Spartan, always a Spartan!”

Spartan Families,

Cross Country sign-up deadline is July 15th, 2024 St Sue CYO Registration

Summer Fun Runs begin Saturday, June 1st. Fun Runs begin at 8:30 am every Saturday at the Amphitheater on the backside of Hummel Park. Come be part of the 50-mile club with your friends this Summer! Kids and Parents are encouraged to participate together in Saturday Fun Runs as well as regular season practices once the 2024 Fall Semester begins.

The Spartan Cross-Country Team is preparing to enter its 10th season! Cross-Country is not just for distance runners at St. Susanna. Our program is designed for all students interested in personal fitness (we have many runners who use the CC Program to get in shape for other sports). Spartan Cross-Country Team members will learn how to properly warm up (stretching), proper running form, strength training, how to cool down after a workout as well as proper diet to get the most out of a workout. Our mission is to help instruct the Spartan Student Athletes so they can be fit for life. If you are worried that running is not fun we have that covered as well. We have candy relays once a week and Frigid Frog Awards for the most improved male and female runner after each Cross-Country Meet. We are planning a Home Meet this year as well!

Cross Country is open to 3rd - 8th graders as a CYO Sport with a $75 registration fee. Summer Fun Runs and the regular season of cross country are open to 1st and 2nd graders as well, though they will not have official times at all meets nor can they compete in the city championships. Registration for 1st and 2nd graders is $30.

We are welcoming a female Coach this year, Jaime Mullen. We are excited to have her and her family as part of the Cross Country family. She is a great role model!

If anyone has questions about the Spartan Cross-Country Program they can contact Coach Adam Harty via email: hartya@gmail.com or phone: 317-509-7413.

Go Spartans!

• The last day of school is Thursday, May 23rd.
• We start the day with Mass at 8:45 AM. This year's mass will be led by Mrs. Wooden's 4th grade.
• 4th - 8th grade end-of-year awards are in the church immediately after mass.
• K - 3rd awards start around 10:30 AM in the church - after the conclusion of the older group.
• Families are welcome to attend mass and/or awards.
• All students will return to the classroom after mass and awards.

Dismissal on this day is officially at 1:20 PM after our normal lunch and recess periods. Parents are welcome to check their child(ren) out early from the school office after awards if they prefer. For a smoother and faster checkout, please email Ms. Brown ahead of time at cbrown@saintsusanna.com and let her know when you will be picking up your child.

EDM is available as usual on this day.

The Saint Susanna Backyard Bash will be August 9 - 10, 2024. Setup for this celebration requires using our campus, therefore, some slight adjustments have been made to the 24-25 calendar. The full calendar is in the files at the end of this newsletter. The changes include moving the first day of school to Monday, August 5th; scheduling a 1:20 PM dismissal with NO EDM on Thursday, August 8th, and no school on Friday, August 9th.

Supply lists for the 24-25 school year are available on our website. You can order your child's supplies through First Day School Supplies or you can purchase them on your own. First Day orders are due by July 1st.

The state of Indiana provides free summer meals to children 18 and younger through the Summer Food Service Program. These meals are provided to any child, regardless of free/reduced lunch status. This website is updated at the end of May each year.

To find a location, parents can

• Visit the website at https://www.in.gov/doe/nutrition/meal-site-information/. This website includes a searchable list of sites, program rules, and additional resources.
• To find a site near you, text “summer meals” or “verano” to (914) 342-7744 or call USDA National Hunger Hotline at 1-866-3-HUNGRY or 1-877-8- HAMBRE
  

Each year, the state of Indiana increases the maximum household income allowed to qualify for Choice. Please see below for this year's eligibility requirements.

Indiana has also finalized award amounts for the 23-24 school year. Some of our families will see this school year's scholarship increase as a result. I am working through each scholarship account to rectify any tuition owed. These increased scholarship funds will be applied to this year's balances, lunch, or EDM accounts owed, or credited toward next year's tuition.

The state will use this year's finalized awards as the estimated awards for the fall of 2024. For example, families who live in Plainfield School District will see next year's estimated award increase from $5,912 to $6,265.13. See the table below for this year's finalized and next year's estimated award amounts by home school district.

While it is not required to send in treats for your child's birthday, we want to accommodate those who do. When sending birthday treats, please observe the following guidelines:

• Consult with the classroom teacher beforehand to secure a date that works for her and to learn about any classroom allergies
• Send store-bought, individual treats with an ingredient label. Homemade treats cannot be served. Treats cannot contain peanuts or tree nuts of any kind.
• We will not be passing out treat bags to students or other party favors.

In order for our cafeteria to be self-sufficient, we must receive regular and timely payments from those who participate in the hot lunch program. As such, I have updated our lunch policies accordingly. Please see below for the excerpt from the attached Student Parent Handbook:

• For any student with a negative cafeteria balance, the student will continue to be eligible for a hot or cold lunch and milk; however, they will not be eligible for extra servings or any a la carte items including bottled water, until the account is brought positive. Students are always welcome to bring their own refillable water bottles to lunch with them.

• Preferred: www.myschoolbucks.com Payments made through MySchoolBucks credit to a student’s account automatically and accounts are updated without delay. Previously setup accounts will continue to work throughout your child’s time at Saint Susanna. Accounts can be set up with the lunch number that will come home in your child’s back-to-school packet. This system also shows parents all of the charges and credits to a student’s account.
• Alternate Method of Payment: Payments made outside of the MySchoolBucks system are subject to delay in crediting your student’s lunch account: 1) Online via www.saintsusanna.com/pay 2) Check sent via backpack mail to Mrs. Carson’s attention clearly describing the amounts to be applied to each student account. Do not send cash.

All volunteers must have a background check and completed safe environment training through the Archdiocese's Safe Parish system. All volunteers' background checks are monitored quarterly. All volunteers must be registered in the Safe Parish system before they can volunteer. Instructions for registering and training are in the newsletter each week (see below).

In order to volunteer in our school building during the day or attend field trips as a chaperone, you must have current safe environment training on file with us. This requirement includes safe environment training and a basic background check through the Archdiocese.

To obtain a new training and background check:

1. Go to the website www.archindysafeparish.org
2. Create an account.
3. You will need a passcode in order to create an account. The passcode is Archindy2021
4. Complete the background check for school or parish VOLUNTEER and select Saint Susanna as a recipient of your information.
5. Complete the training video and questions.

Please allow up to two weeks for this process to be completed.

The service hour tracking form can be found here and a copy will be sent home in the back-to-school packets. We ask that each family complete five service hours this school year. These hours can be completed during school or parish events.

Box Tops for Education

Here’s how it works:

• Step 1: Download the new Box Tops App (iTunes or Google Play) – it’s free
• Step 2: Create a username and connect it to your child’s school
• Step 3: Scan your grocery store receipt. Items with the new Box Tops label will be automatically credited to your school

Does this mean I should stop sending in my paper Box Tops that I have already clipped? No! Continue to send those to the school!

Kroger Community Rewards

Information on the Kroger Community Rewards program can be found here on their website or under the "rewards" tab in your Kroger app. You will need to search for the exact name of our organization as SAINT SUSANNAS SCHOOL PTP . From there, you can link your Kroger card with our organization and a portion of your spending at Kroger will come to us.

St. Susanna Catholic School's mission is to provide a Christ-centered, quality education that prepares and inspires its students to excel as they progress in their scholastic careers. Based on Catholic teachings, our students and staff exemplify the value of faith, service, love, and respect in all situations and with all people.

Email: jabdoulaye@saintsusanna.com
Website: www.saintsusannaschool.com
Location: 1212 East Main Street, Plainfield, IN, USA
Phone: 317-839-3713
Facebook: facebook.com/stsusannaschool