Holy Family School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We have formally moved into the Fall season, and God has blessed us with many great things. Along with all the wonders of fall, we know the business is just starting! Please take some time to read through this newsletter, as there are many important things that you will need to know for November.

Today was a fantastic day as we celebrated not only All Saints Day, but the opening of our new private chapel at Holy Family School. Students participated in the procession to the chapel after mass, and each grade level received a blessing. Fr. Crane, Vicar, from the St. Cloud Diocese, was also present and officially blessed the chapel. We will be hosting a grand opening for parents and community members to visit our chapel in January after the renovations are complete. We are very excited to have Jesus in our school and to see how God is on the move here!

The last day of the quarter is Friday, November 8th. There will not be school on Monday, November 11th. Please see the information within the newsletter on report card distribution. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be during the week of Thanksgiving. Tuesday, November 26th, in the evening from 3:30-7:00 p.m. and a half day on Wednesday, November 27th, from 8:00-12:00 p.m. Sign-up information can be found later in the newsletter. Conferences are an essential time to connect with your child’s teacher to discuss progress growth and answer your concerns regarding your child. Parents are encouraged to have their child(ren) attend conferences. This is an excellent opportunity for students to actively participate in their learning and see how the teacher and parents work together in their best interest. Teachers and staff have worked hard to ensure all students learn and grow. Please be sure to make time for this important conference. The Book Fair will also be held in the school cafeteria and will be open during conferences on both days. The Book Fair will close at noon on Wednesday to allow for take-down.

Come out and support our school by having fun at the Jingle and Mingle event at Berg’s Barn on Wednesday, November 6th. There are two different time slots available. More information on signing up can be found later in the newsletter.

Regular attendance at school helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Good attendance also reflects how students perform at school. Even as kids grow older and more independent, families play a crucial role in ensuring students access learning opportunities and understand why attendance is vital for school success. We appreciate your commitment to making sure your child is in school.

Lastly, please ensure your child(ren) is coming to school dressed appropriately for the outdoor weather. Hats, mittens, coats, and boots are required to go outside. We want to do our best to keep kids healthy.

God’s Blessing to all of you!

Ms. Otte

Happy November and greetings from the Nurse’s Office.

Here at Holy Family, we have been seeing some cases of strep throat, pink eye, stomach flu, and pneumonia.

Some of the symptoms of strep throat are:

* a sudden onset of sore throat

* red tonsils with white spots

* pain with swallowing

* fever

* swollen neck glands

* loss of appetite

* headache

* abdominal pain

Some of the symptoms of pink eye include:

* red eye

* irritation, itching, feeling like there is something in the eye

* watery eyes or discharge that is yellow or green

Some of the symptoms of pneumonia are:

* breathing difficulty

* chest pain

* fever and/or chills

* cough

* fast breathing

* increased tiredness

* loss of appetite

The above symptoms are not all-inclusive and if you have any concerns, please call or message your medical provider. They will be able to give you directions for the best treatment.

How do we lessen the chance of getting sick?

1. Avoid close contact with others who are sick.

2. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

3. Wash your hands frequently. Review the CDC hand washing flyer below with your family.

4. Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes.

5. Get plenty of rest.

6. Drink lots of fluids.

7. Do some physical activity every day.

8. Consider getting the seasonal flu shot.

9. If you are sick, stay home.

Recommendations from the MN Department of Health

Should students with influenza-like illness (ILI) be excluded from school?

• Yes, students and staff with ILI should stay home from school and school activities.

• ILI is defined as a fever (at least 100°F) and a cough or sore throat.

• Students and staff who become ill during the day should be immediately isolated from others and sent home.

• Students and staff can return to school 24 hours after their fever is gone without fever-reducing medication (e.g., Tylenol or Advil).

• Students and staff can return to school 24 hours after their last episode of vomiting.

• They should also be well enough to participate in school before returning.

Our Jingle & Mingle event is next Wednesday and we still have a few spots available. To sign up, please click the button below and complete the necessary information. Note, payment is required before you will be issued a ticket for the event. You can sign up and pay online (link below) or stop in the school to get signed up and pay with cash or check.

We are officially launching our annual Calendar Raffle fundraiser. This fundraiser is essential in helping HFS keep tuition costs low and reaching our overall school budget. During the December Board meeting, one ticket will be drawn for each day of the 2025 calendar year. That ticket is then returned to the barrel for the next calendar day giving each ticket holder 365 chances to win. Prizes are $20 per day or $75 on special feast days throughout the year and $200 for two special holidays. More details on these days can be found on the front of the raffle ticket.

Each family will recieve seven tickets being sent home with your oldest child. We ask and encourage you to sell all seven tickets. Additional tickets may be picked up from the school or parish offices. All tickets, sold AND unsold must be returned to the HFS office no later than 9:00 AM on December 17th.

Thank you in advance for your support with this fundraiser!

Parent/teacher conferences will take place on Tuesday, November 26 from 3:30 - 7:00 and Wednesday, November 27 from 8:00 - 12:00. (Please note that, due to conferences, there is no school at Holy Family School on Wednesday - this is an early release date for the public school.)

You may now sign up for a conference time which are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. To sign up, please follow the steps below (NOTE: you cannot sign up for conferences using the JMC Family App):

1. Log in to JMC and click on "Teacher Conference Scheduler" at the bottom of the dashboard.
2. Select the conference date (Tuesday or Wednesday) from the Conference Date drop-down
3. Select a time in the "Appointment Time" drop-down menu for each child. If a time appears in the selection box, that is your confirmation of your chosen time slot. (You will NOT hit a "Submit" button or get any notification of your chosen time slot.)
   
4. Log out of JMC

Just a reminder, there is an HFS specific login screen. Click the box below to be brought to the login screen.

Now that we are nearing the end of 1st quarter (November 8), we want to provide some information on how to view grades/report cards. Grades can be viewed by logging in to JMC on a desktop version or through the JMC Family App. Below are steps to view grades for each options. Please note that report card grades will NOT be available for view until November 15th.

Just a reminder, there is an HFS specific login screen. Click the box above to be brought to the login screen.

1. Log in to the JMC family app
2. Click on the graduation cap at the bottom
3. In the top menu row, click on "grades"
4. Click on your child
5. You can see grades here but you can further see assignments by clicking on the subject. (Note: once you can view assignments, scroll to the right to view any comments.

1. Log into JMC from a desktop computer or mobile device
2. In the dashboard, click "Academics"
3. Click "Progress Reports"

1. Log into jmc Family and head to to Report Card/Transcript > Report Card.
2. Click the drop-down list and select a student to view report cards for each student in your family.
3. The school, student's name and grade, the student's term GPA, cumulative GPA and year GPA, attendance information, and advisor will be listed across the top section of the report card for the selected student.
4. Click the "Print" button to print a copy of the student's report card.

1. Log in to JMC from a desktop computer or select login on a desktop version if using a mobile device.
2. In the dashboard, click on "Report Card/Transcript"
3. Click on "Standards & Benchmarks Report Card"
   
4. Select the student name from the student drop-down
5. Change Term Type to "Quarters" and select quarter 1
6. Under form size, select the "Use Form Setting" radio button.
7. A report card will be downloaded for you to view and/or print

This week we held our monthly all-school assembly to recognice those students who were chosen for showing "Respect" throughout the month of October. This month's winners are:

Back row from left: Brody B (5), Leah H (5), Clare M (6) and William G (6)

Middle row from left: Ms. Otte, Mason N (3), Noah H (3), Noah Z (4) and Sophie D (4)

Front row from left: Quinn M (K), Cordelia D (K), Maizie W (1), Tori E (1), Kinley W (2) and Austin P (2)

During November, we will emphasize the character trait of Thankfulness for an apparent reason: Thanksgiving! What a perfect time for our children to acknowledge that there is a good reason for our national holiday and that it relates to appreciating our blessings and showing gratitude for them. True thankfulness cannot have one without the other. Privately enjoying what we have and where we live is not enough - our children must be taught to publicly acknowledge their blessings and show concrete signs of appreciation to God and those who are responsible for them. To be thankful is to recognize the love of God in everything he has given us, and he has given us everything.

Your children will be taught to “count their blessings'' this month. You can encourage your child to create thank you notes and, or pictures to give to people in their lives for whom they are thankful. These notes do not have to be long and worded perfectly, just a two or three-sentence acknowledgment of their appreciation. Some healthy doses of appreciation and acknowledgment of our many blessings are crucial for them to maintain well-rounded and well-adjusted outlooks on life.

This habit of writing thank-you notes reinforces the earlier trait of Respect. When one takes time to thank another, it shows respect. This is another boost to your child's self-confidence and character development. No matter our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful.

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!

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.

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!