The Hornet's Buzz

February 14, 2025

Today, our school was filled with hearts, love, and the spirit of Valentine’s Day as students celebrated with class parties. Yesterday, PreK and Kindergarten had their Valentine's Dance, which brought so much joy to our youngest learners. A heartfelt thank you to all who helped make these celebrations special for our students!

As we look ahead, we may continue to experience winter weather. We will let you know of any potential impact on school operations. Please know that our school calendar includes additional instructional days to accommodate unexpected closures. We also work closely with the Archdiocese's School Office to ensure we meet all required instructional minutes. If further closures require school hours adjustments, we will let you know those details as soon as possible.

This is a reminder that school will be closed on Monday for President's Day and that we will not have classes on Friday for Parent-Teacher Conferences. We also look forward to seeing you at our Book Fair and Literacy Night on Wednesday, February 19, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Below, you’ll find important updates for the week ahead.

Temporary School Phone Number

Thank you for your kind patience as the phone outage continues. As shared, we have a temporary number for you to reach the school at: 913-433-4164..

Literacy Night/Book Fair

We look forward to seeing you at school on Wednesday, February 19, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.

Enrollment

Due to winter weather closures and possible continued storms, Early Bird registration for Grades K-8 has been extended until Thursday, February 20. If you have any questions, please contact Stefanie Bridges.

Celebration Tickets

We look forward to seeing you at our annual fundraising event on Saturday, March 1. Tickets are still available for purchase!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

They will take place on Friday, February 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Teachers will contact you with conference requests. Please use this link to notify your teacher if you have not been contacted and would like a conference.

Summer Camp - Blast Off into Summer!

Holy Cross families will receive registration information via email on Monday.

STREAM Camp - STREAMing into a Bright Future

Mrs. Kopp will be offering STREAM Camps again this summer. Registration is Now Open.!

Absences and Tardies

If your student will be absent or tardy, please notify the Office (gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com) no later than 8:15 am. All lunch counts must be in by this time.

Electronic Devices

A reminder that per our handbook, students cannot have personal electronic devices in school without the principal's consent. These include bringing personal computers (excluding 6-8), iPads, music players, tape recorders, cameras, handheld video games, CELL PHONES, SMARTwatches, or items of a similar nature.

Wishing you a safe, warm, and joyfully blessed weekend.

Paola V. Clark, Ed.D.

Principal

Celebration is just around the corner. This is the largest parish/school fundraiser that helps bridge the gap for operational needs such as scholarships and essential technology upgrades.

We need your help setting up and breaking down for the event. Please use the following link to volunteer for a couple of hours. Thank you in advance for your support!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0849ACAE2CA46-55144494-celebration

As we enter the winter season, we want to ensure the safety and well-being of all our students, staff, and families. Please be aware that school closures or delays may occur due to inclement weather or poor road conditions.

Archdiocese schools in Johnson County will decide on snow/inclement weather day closures based on the nearest district ( Shawnee Mission School District). This may not apply to "cold weather" or "late start" days.

Please note that on days when Shawnee Mission is not in session (such as when they have professional development days or similar events), Holy Cross will make any closure decisions independently, prioritizing safety.

We will inform you of any closures as soon as decisions are made through the Holy Cross app, email, and social media sites. We encourage you to monitor these platforms regularly, especially in the mornings when weather conditions are uncertain.

Your child’s safety is our top priority. If school remains open but you feel that road conditions in your area are unsafe, please use your discretion. Absences due to severe weather will be excused with appropriate communication to the school office (gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work together to ensure a safe winter season. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Stay warm and safe!

A medida que entramos en la temporada de invierno, queremos garantizar la seguridad y el bienestar de todos nuestros estudiantes, personal y familias. Por favor, tengan en cuenta que podrían ocurrir cierres o retrasos en la escuela debido a condiciones climáticas adversas o carreteras en mal estado.

Las escuelas de la Arquidiócesis en el Condado de Johnson decidirán sobre cierres por nieve o clima adverso basándose en el distrito escolar más cercano (Shawnee Mission School District). Esto puede no aplicarse a días de "clima frío" o "inicio tardío".

Tenga en cuenta que, en días en que Shawnee Mission no tenga clases (como días de desarrollo profesional u otros eventos similares), Holy Cross tomará decisiones sobre cierres de manera independiente, dando prioridad a la seguridad.

Les informaremos sobre cualquier cierre tan pronto como se tomen las decisiones a través de la aplicación de Holy Cross, correo electrónico y redes sociales. Los animamos a monitorear estas plataformas con regularidad, especialmente por las mañanas cuando las condiciones climáticas sean inciertas.

La seguridad de su estudiante es nuestra máxima prioridad. Si la escuela permanece abierta, pero consideran que las condiciones de las carreteras en su área no son seguras, utilicen su discreción. Las ausencias debido a clima severo serán justificadas con la comunicación adecuada a la oficina escolar (gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com).

Gracias por su comprensión y cooperación mientras trabajamos juntos para garantizar una temporada de invierno segura. Si tienen alguna pregunta o inquietud, no dude en ponerse en contacto con la oficina de la escuela.

¡Manténganse abrigados y seguros!

Please help us prioritize the safety and security of our students and staff. Parking is not permitted in the Tree lot during school hours. If you need to park and enter the school, please use the front parking lot by the main office. When exiting the parking lot, only turn right onto 95th. 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.

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 February is Justice. We will also reinforce "Stewardship" from the CROSS Rule.

The Saint of the month is St. Martin of Porres.

Hello, lovely Holy Cross Families,

Here are some great reminders about when your children need to stay home and a great resource explaining the symptoms of different types of illnesses. Please do not hesitate to contact our nurses with any questions or concerns via email or our temporary office number (913-433-4164) as we continue to fix our phone system issues.

Hola queridas familias de Holy Cross:

Aquí están algunos grandes recordatorios acerca de cuándo sus hijos necesitan quedarse en casa, así como un gran recurso que explica los síntomas de diferentes tipos de enfermedades. Por favor, no dude en ponerse en contacto con nuestras enfermeras con cualquier pregunta o preocupación a través de correo electrónico o nuestro número temporal (913-433-4164) para la oficina a medida que continuamos para solucionar nuestros problemas de sistema telefónico.

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.