March Newsletter

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

You should have received an email from Sara Wade through FACTS. That email will give you instructions to reenroll your student for 2025-2026 in FACTS. The email will go to the email that you had with PowerSchool as we transferred information from PowerSchool to FACTS to make the progress go a little quicker. You will first make a Family Portal Account for FACTS, then you will fill out the Reenroll Form. The Enrollment form does have everything you need in the system, but to speed up the process for you, you may want to have some of these documents printed and filled out as you complete the enrollment form.

· Health Appraisal/Immunization – If your child is entering Kindergarten or the 7th Grade, you will need to submit one of these.

· Oral Health Assessment – If your child is entering Kindergarten, you will need to submit one of these.

· Child Information Record – If you plan to, or may use our Childcare, this form is required

· Volunteer Background Check – If you plan to volunteer at the School, all volunteers must submit these. If both parents want to volunteer, we need a form for each parent.

For help, you can also visit our new FACTS page on our School website - https://stgerardlansing.org/facts.

Please direct any questions or hiccups to the office and we will assist you. Thank you for your cooperation as we navigate this new process!

Don't forget TRIP is a great way to reduce tuition costs! From groceries and gas, to restaurants and shopping, purchasing gift cards with a kick back on tuition is a win win!

Lands' End partners with TRIP so when you think about purchasing a new uniform for next year, consider TRIP as an option. If you have any questions about the TRIP program, reach out to Shawn Macksood at the parish at smacksood@stgerardlansing.org

Mileage Club begins April 8th for grades K-8! A big thank you to Cory Krause and PTO for leading this amazing program for our students!

You will find a flier in the Thursday Communicator today with information regarding the program. We NEED volunteers to have Cory make this program a success, please sign up using the link below!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4DAEA629A4FEC70-55557416-stgerard#/

The Lost & Found has many winter items that need a home! Single gloves, hats, and other items are pictured below. Anything that remains lost at Spring Break will be washed and donated to St. Vincent. Thank you!

This spring, grades K-6 are embarking on a big unit introducing coding. What we will actually be doing is going to vary according to grade level, but all students will be exposed to coding vocabulary, concepts, and basic drag and drop block coding. We have robots that we will eventually code to move, talk, blink, and more!

Not only is coding fun, it is a wonderful way to reinforce math, language, and technology skills. If you are looking for a great resource for home as we work on coding at school, I want to suggest Scratch Jr. if you are brand new to the concept, or Scratch if your kiddo is older and more familiar with coding concepts. Both of these were developed by Tufts University, PBS Kids, and MIT Media Lab and create starting points that are accessible, easy to use, and (my favorite part) FREE! Happy learning and let me know if you want more suggestions or info!

Lent offers a special opportunity for children to learn valuable life lessons, such as empathy, discipline, and the importance of making sacrifices. While prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are key practices, Lent also teaches kids how to build self-control and develop a deeper sense of compassion for others. It's a time to help children understand how their actions can affect the world around them, and how small sacrifices can lead to growth, not only spiritually but also in character. This season is a chance to practice the discipline of saying "no" to something they want, so they can say "yes" to something greater, whether it's showing kindness, being patient, or helping those in need. These lessons about sacrifice and empathy can become the foundation for living a thoughtful and caring life every day.

Today, with so many distractions from technology and constant activity, it’s easy for kids to get caught up in everything happening around them and forget what we are called to do as Christians. Lent gives them a chance to pause, reflect, and focus on what really matters, things like self-control, kindness, and caring for others. By making small sacrifices and helping others, they can learn to put others first and resist the urge for instant gratification. These simple practices can help them live a more thoughtful and meaningful life. As adults, let us embrace this opportunity to model these virtues for our children, showing them through our actions how to live with kindness, patience, and a sense of purpose. Lent is a time for us all to lead by example, demonstrating that true happiness doesn’t come from always being busy or having more things, but from being connected to others and living with love and self-control.

Thank you to all of our parents, friends, and PTO members who volunteered their time to help out with the Book Fair this year! Our students thoroughly enjoyed being able to

put new books into their hands again.

A special thank you to Katie Barron for your

time and dedication!

Quote from Chpt. 1; What it Means to Show Up

(Siegel, Bryson, p. 21).

• Thursday, 3/13: 4th grade camp parent meeting 6:00 p.m. in Fr. Weber
• Friday, 3/14: Dress as a Book Character Day (out of uniform **No onesie outfits or pajamas, jeans day guidelines apply. All outfits must be school appropriate).
• Saturday, 3/15: 2nd grade First Eucharist parent/child workshop 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Monday, 3/17: St. Patrick's Day! Wear a green accessory with school uniform
• Tuesday, 3/18: Hot lunch window for ordering opens
• New Family Registration for Preschool 6:00 p.m.
• Thursday, 3/20: March Madness! Wear your favorite sports' team/jersey (out of uniform)
• Friday, 3/21: End of 3rd quarter
• NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Monday, 3/24: Comfy Cozy Day; NO pajamas! Out of uniform
• NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Tuesday, 3/25: NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Reconciliaton
• Wednesday, 3/26: NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Reconciliaition
• Thursday, 3/27: NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Friday, 3/28: NO WAVERLY AM/PM BUS
• Reconciliation
• Last Day before Spring Break!
• Monday, 3/31-Friday, 4/4: SPRING BREAK, NO SCHOOL (CHILDCARE CLOSED)
• Monday, 4/7: Back to School
• Wednesday, 4/9: 3rd grade field trip to Capitol
• 7th grade field trip to LCHS (Retreat Day)
• Thursday, 4/10: Virtue Assembly
• 6th grade Vocation Day at LCHS
• Sunday, 4/13: Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins
• Thursday, 4/17: Holy Thursday All School Prayer Service
• Friday, 4/18: NO SCHOOL, Good Friday
• Sunday, 4/20: Easter Sunday, 3rd-8th grade Choir @ 11:00 a.m. mass

St. Gerard School, in partnership with family and church, provides a Catholic education that focuses on faith, academics, and service while living and sharing the light of Christ.