Monday Memo

Dear parents,

School is just around the corner and I wanted to welcome all of our new families!

This newsletter includes important information leading up to the start of school.

• Back to School Dates
• School Supplies 2024-2025
• Uniform Sale
• Backyard Bash
• Tuition and Choice Scholarship
• CYO Sports

I also wanted to let everyone know that Mrs. Carlson is moving to Lafayette and will not be returning next year.

Please spread the word that we are looking for a new 5th grade teacher.

God bless,

Katie Weaver

• New Family Orientation: August 1st at 6:30 PM in the Parish Center. New families should plan to attend to learn about life and procedures at Saint Susanna Catholic School.

• New and Used Uniform Sale: July 13th, 9 am to Noon in the School Gym

• Saint Susanna Parish Backyard Bash: August 9th and 10th Everyone is welcome to join us for food, fun, and more.

• Supply Drop Off: Sunday, August 4th after 11:30 AM mass (approximately 12:15 PM) until 2:30 PM. Families are welcome to come to school, drop off supplies, meet the teacher, and see the classroom before the first day of school!

• First Day of School: Monday, August 5th. Morning care opens at 7:00 AM. Doors open for drop off at 7:55 AM. Parents may walk their children to the classroom if desired only this first day. Students should be in the classrooms by 8:20 AM. Announcements start at 8:25 AM.

• Back to School Night: Wednesday, August 7th at 6:30 PM in the Gym

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 school supply list can also be found on the school website under downloads. https://saintsusannaschool.com/resources-downloads

We will need volunteers to help sort the used uniforms and clean up afterward. Please get in touch with Alison Stevenson at alison.l.stevenson@gmail.com with questions about volunteering.

The 2024 Backyard Bash is August 9th and 10th. I am looking for volunteers to help sell raffle tickets after the weekend masses in July leading up to the Bash in August (raffle license #002622). This is a super easy (and important) way to support the parish! The time commitment is only about 25 minutes after mass.

Please checkout the signup below to see when you can help. Any questions? Please contact me at jabdoulaye@saintsusanna.com

https://www.signupgenius.com/.../4090F4BA8AB2AA7FB6...

Dear parents,

Mrs. Abdoulaye will continue to be in charge of FACTS, tuition, and financial aid for the school year. She is out of the office in June but will resume work in July. Feel free to email her any time. jabdoulaye@saintsusanna.com

Payment Options:

• FACTS Payment Plan: Families who have a FACTS account and who owe a balance have already been billed through FACTS. You should have received an email with next year’s payment plan. If you would like to pay your balance in FACTs, please log in and create a payment plan at https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3FXLZ
• Pay in Full: All families who wish to pay in full must do so by July 15th. A 3 percent discount is available to non-Choice Scholarship families who pay tuition in full. Choice families may also choose to pay their balance in full. You have two options for paying your bill in full:
• Online at www.saintsusannaschool.com/pay Enter the amount due for your children in the “Designated Fund” category and add your students’ names.
• By check at Saint Susanna School. Please place your check in an envelope and leave with Ms. Cody or place in the dropbox next to her window in the school entryway. You can also mail your check to us at 1212 E Main Street, Plainfield, IN 46168
• Choice awards are subject to the submission of the household’s 2023 tax return and meeting program requirements. I have processed awards for most families who have submitted their paperwork. You have received this paperwork via Dropbox Sign. I will be processing awards for families that include an incoming kindergartener and those who have yet to submit their tax returns during July and August. The Choice Scholarship submission deadline is September 1st.
  

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 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.

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.

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
  

1. To apply for a Choice Scholarship in K-8: send a copy of your 2022 1040 tax return to Mrs. Abdoulaye. You can drop off a physical copy at the office or email the document to her at jabdoulaye@saintsusanna.com. You can block out your family’s social security numbers prior to sending the form. The first page of the 1040 form shows household members and adjusted gross income; this page is required.

2. To apply for preschool, prekindergarten, or additional financial aid for K-8 students: If your child is not eligible for a Choice Scholarship OR if you are seeking financial aid above and beyond that granted by Choice, we have a limited amount of additional financial aid available. This aid is available for our preschool and prekindergarten students as well. You must apply via our FACTS Grant and Aid platform for this aid at https://online.factsmgt.com/signin/3FXLZ A fee will apply for the application. The deadline for financial aid is June 1, 2023. Award decisions will be sent to families in early June.

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.

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