Holy Family School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We have had a busy start to the school year. As we think about all the ways “God Is On The Move", students are actively putting virtues and character traits into practice in their daily lives! They have been planning and leading activities for the Workathon, showing great initiative and responsibility in how to meet their goals along the way!

We had our first student assembly on Wednesday, September 25th, where we learned about our first character trait in October: respect. This is the first step in building the attitude and behavior necessary for all the other traits to follow. Respect includes self-respect, respect for others, respect for authority, and respect for property. October is also National Bullying Prevention Month, and we will focus on respecting our interactions with others. Wednesday, October 16th, is National Unity Day, and all students and staff are encouraged to wear orange. This color symbolizes unity and represents taking a stand against bullying.

HFS will be part of a global community as we participate in the World Mission Rosary on Friday, October 4th. We look forward to gathering everyone together for this important event. Deacon Kelly will be at school to support and lead us in this rosary. During times when our world is so divided and torn, it is essential for us to love and pray for one another. This is also our Workathon Day. Students will be out and about in the community and paying it forward. Students will be participating in Workathon events throughout the year.

Grandparents Day is coming up on Friday, October 11th. We are so excited to have grandparents here and to spend time with the people who play such a unique role and influence our children daily. We know the strength and guidance grandparents provide and look forward to celebrating this day with them. Invitations have been sent home with students; parents should watch for them. The program will start at 12:30 this year to allow more time after the program for grandparents to see the school and visit classrooms. Please contact the office if you have any questions.

Teachers and students have been learning about our new ALICE safety protocol for responding to a school crisis. All students have started training in this new protocol. This is not training that is done in one educational session but rather an ongoing learning process throughout the school year. Students will learn about this protocol at an age-appropriate level within their classroom. If you have specific questions about what your child is learning, please contact the classroom teacher for additional information. Please rest assured that should we have a true emergency, we have protocols and procedures in place to ensure student safety and will collaborate with law enforcement when necessary.

We have been having warmer-than-average temperatures, but in the cooler season, please remember to ensure students are dressed appropriately for the weather. In the fall, it can be cooler in the school building as we transition to the winter months. This is also the time of colds and sniffles; be sure to keep your child home if they are not feeling well or are under the weather. Students need to get adequate rest to feel better and keep everyone around them healthy. Please be sure to read through the monthly bulletin as it has important information and dates of various events taking place.

May all of you have a wonderful and restful weekend!

God Bless,

Ms. Otte

Ms. Otte & Father Greg have been collaborating together and are pleased to announce we have received permission from Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C. to sestablish a Eucharistic Chapel at Holy Family School. The chapel will be named after Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. It will be located downstairs near the Punkins and Monkeys Preschool room.

It is an honor and privilege to welcome Jesus' Body and Blood, Soul and Divnity into our school. "The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Chrisitan life." (Catechism #1324)

On All Saint's Day, November 1, we are tentatively planning to participate in a procession of the Eucharist from the church to the chapel after the 8:15 mass at St. Paul's church. Parents, benefactors, and the general public are welcome to "Come and See" (John 1:39) Jesus in the Chapel of Saints Joachim and Anne. Join HFS in gratitutde as we celebrate "God is on the Move!" (2024 school theme).

Wednesday, October 9th, Tim Kampsen from the Lion's will be here to test the vision of students in grades 1, 3, 5 and the Wednesday afternoon Punkins and Monkeys class. There is no cost for these screenings. Parents will be notified with any abnormal findings.

As we start a new school year, here are a few reminders regarding illnesses:

1. If your child is not going to be at school, please let us know. If it is before or after school hours you can still call and leave a message on the answering machine or send a message on JMC. If we don’t receive a call from you the absence will be considered "unexcused". You will also receive a phone call notification from JMC regarding the unexcused absence. When you receive this, please call and let us know why your child is not in school. If we don’t hear from you the absence will be unexcused.

2. If your child is sick, they must be fever-free, without the use of medications (Tylenol or Ibuprofen), for 24 hours. If they are vomiting, they cannot return to school until 24 hours after the last episode.

3. Remember to have a change of clothes for your students here at school. Ideally a pair of pants, underwear, a shirt and socks. Kids spill, get wet outside, and have accidents and it’s nice to have a dry outfit to put on. We don't have clothes here for students so if they need a change of clothes and they don't have a supply here parents will be called to bring some in.

4. As we are approaching Influenza and head lice season, please review the following information.

With hat and jacket weather approaching, this letter is sent out by Health Services as a general reminder to check your child periodically for head lice. There are no current cases on campus.

Please review the information below to learn more.

What to look for:

• Itching of the scalp that does not go away.

• Small whitish eggs (nits) attached to individual hairs that are difficult or impossible to remove. Be careful not to confuse the nits with dandruff or hair spray droplets that can be brushed off the hair shaft.

• Tiny brownish insects (lice) that are usually found close to the scalp. They are flat in shape, measure 1/10 to 1/8 inch in length and have short, thick legs. The insects can move quickly, but DO NOT fly or jump.

How head lice are spread:

• Direct head to head contact with a person who has head lice.

• Sharing personal items such as combs, brushes, hair accessories, hats, scarves, jackets, sweaters, towels, sheets, pillowcases, blankets etc.

How head lice are treated:

• By using over the counter and prescription rinses and shampoos. There are also many home “suffocation” remedies.

• Removal of all nits. This is very important when treating head lice. Your child’s hair should be inspected every day for a week to ensure all nits are removed.

• It is necessary to repeat the treatment in 7-10 days.

How to attend to the environment:

• Wash or dry clean all recently worn clothes and bed linens. Remember to include hats, scarves, gloves, mittens and hair accessories.

• Whenever possible, place items in a clothes dryer on high heat for 20 minutes.

• Clean combs and brushes by soaking in hot (130 degree), soapy water or lice control solution for 10 minutes, then scrub with an old toothbrush.

• Vacuum rugs, upholstered furniture, mattresses, car seats and cars.

• Check all household members/contacts and treat if active infestation is found.

• Please inform health services if you find head lice.

• Head lice can infect anyone, anywhere and is not a sign of poor hygiene. It is important to talk about it in order to prevent spreading head lice to others.

• For more information visit www.cdc.gov or call the health office at your child’s school.

Grades 5 and 6 students will participate in Electives of their choice again this school year. During the first Qqarter, the choices are Sign Language, Brain Teasers, Reader's Theatre, Broadcasting, and Mass Helpers/Singing. Students will be choosing an elective each quarter, except for Broadcasting. Students may remain in this course if they like.

Quarter 1 Electives:

Mrs. Kohorst:

Start Your HEART- In need of a stress reliever? Improve your mental and physical health through cardiovascular activities. Movement and a positive attitude are the only requirements.

Mrs. Feist

Genius Hour - Genius Hour is when students work independently on a topic of their choice. The purpose is to give students independence and teach them to be self-learners while researching a topic that genuinely interests and motivates them.

Mrs. Johnson and Ms. Kampsen:

STEM - The students will be given materials and be asked to make/build something using only those materials. This allows students to use their creativity to come up with ways to build or engineer something.

Mrs. Polipnick:

Music Expression - Learn about the creative aspects of music. Aspire to write music, play instruments and discover your hidden talents in this elective.

Every year in October, we collect food items to be donated to the local food shelf. We will be collecting food items October 21 - November 1. Please send any non-perishable items to HFS during that time and we will get them to the food shelf. Thank you~

U.S. National Stop Bullying Day is a day where schoolchildren, their teachers and their parents spend time learning about bullying and recognizing how they can prevent it. On Wednesday, Otober 16, we are asking all staff and students to wear orange.

We are already a couple of weeks into the school year and we hope you are utilizing JMC. Please note that while they DO have a family app, there will be different information available when logging in on a desktop computer (or desktop version on a mobile device).

Below is a video that we invite you to watch to inform you of everything that is available for you on the JMC Family App - there is also a link to a document that outlines the app. (If you need the HFS JMC pin, please use 0739.

https://youtu.be/9cTB1YXquqI?si=a-iGmr2v_d52SM4v

Discovering jmc Family

After watching the video, login to JMC Family (here is a link to a video that will help you if you have problems):

Logging into the jmc Family portal

Just a reminder, your login username is (in most cases) your last name. If you do not remember your password, click "Forgot Password" and you will be redirected to set up a new password.

Once you log in, we highly recommend that you turn on customized alerts so that you can receive notifications for different messages or grade changes. Below is a link to set up these customized alerts:

Set family alert configurations in jmc Family

Please watch future newsletters for more helpful tips on using JMC and the JMC Family app!

We have started conducting mandatory safety drills. Please be aware that we will be conducting these drills throughout the year. There may be times when law enforcement is on-site to assist and/or the fire department.

Please watch page 3 of the Sauk Centre Herald for weekly happenings at Holy Family School. Thank you to Felling Trailers, Polipnick Insurance, Daniel B. Borgmann Ltd, Dan Welle Chrysler GM and Klaphake Farms for sponsoring this weekly section in the newspaper.

Every month we will hold an all-school assembly to remind students of the monthly character traits. There will be one student from each class that will receive a "World Changer Award" as they have been chosen as reflecting the character trait for that month. At the assembly, students will learn about the character trait for the coming month. Pllease watch Facebook and our monthly newsletters for pictures of our winners.

We had our first all-school assembly this week. Students were introduced to the "Give Me Five" school motto, to the school year theme song "God is on the Move" and the monthly character traits that our future assemblies will be based on. Each month, the award winners will participate in a "Minute-to-Win It" challenge. This week, because there were no student winners for September, the staff participated in a fruit-by-the-foot challenge.

We want to say Thank You to all the parents who have been bringing in treats for the staff at HFS. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!