It seems we blinked, and here we are! It's almost time to come back and return to routine with the 358 students (and counting!) we serve this year!

During your time away this summer, I hope you had a chance to rejuvenate and enjoy some extra time with your family and friends. I am excited to have our hallways filled with students, families, and teachers as we return in just a few short weeks.

Thank you for choosing St. Gerard to educate and form your child(ren) spiritually, academically, and socially. Now, here's to a great year!

Come start the new year & meet your teachers!

On Monday, August 21st from 1:00-2:30 pm and 5:00-6:30 pm we will provide parents and students an opportunity to meet their teacher, see the classroom, as well as get their desks or cubbies organized. You may choose which time you would like to attend.

Please refer to your student’s supply list regarding what items to bring to the open house. Supply lists were sent home in report card envelopes and can be found on the school’s website (www.stgerardlansing.org) or available in the school office as well. A school store will be open at the base of the steps in Father Weber Hall for hard to find items such as school planners, directories, recorders etc.

Morning Drop Off: Car line drop off begins at 7:30 am. There is NO supervision before 7:30 am. Students will enter the building at 7:45 am to start their day.

Afternoon Pick Up: Students will be dismissed at 2:45 pm. Only students grades 5 and above, or younger students escorted by an older student may use the lower lot for pick up to ensure the safety of our young learners.

See the car line map below as well as additional information on our school website.

As many of you already know, the parish parking lot is getting a facelift! The tentative date of completion should occur before the year starts. However, the parish parking lot is NOT a pick up parking lot at dismissal time, so ongoing construction shouldn't affect us. Thank you for your cooperation!

A few reminders:

~Shorts may be worn at the start of the year until October 1st.

~Dress shoes, loafers, sperry's or tennis shoes may be worn as uniform shoes as long as they are solid color. Tennis shoes must be black in color ONLY along with the sole.

~Navy blue leggings are optional for girls grades K-8 for under the jumper or skirt.

~My APlus Uniforms on Saginaw Hwy. along with the used Uniform Closet offer all your uniform needs!

See the handbook on our website for further information. Thank you for your cooperation!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bXXUTXBj-GsGPclNmBkv_rFcA4FoJVfn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101215444825722745433&rtpof=true&sd=true

Hot lunch will be available beginning Tuesday, September 5th, 2023. Students will need to bring a sack lunch and drink the first week of school (Wednesday, August 23rd - Thursday, August 31st). Hot lunch is ordered and paid for on a monthly basis. Our menu for September is below and will be available to order online August 18th - 25th. If you do not place your order by midnight of August 25th, you will not be able to place an order until September 18th - 25th for October’s lunch. We will be making no exceptions this year! The 18th-25th are also marked on the 2023-2024 school calendar.

Please note that our hot lunch price is $3.75 and includes one milk, an extra entree - $1.25, milk only - $.50.

To locate the September hot lunch menu for ordering purposes, you will need to go to our website, stgerardlansing.org. Click on the “current families” link on the top header bar and follow to the hot lunch link. You may also go directly to www.orgsonline.com.

If you ordered last year, you are not a first time user. Your account is still active. Use last year’s login information; it has not changed. If this is your first time using our system, you will need to enter our school code (38SGSNC) to activate your account. Please follow the account activation instructions on the website. If you do not wish to pay online, your check for lunches ordered will need to be in the school office no later than 26th of each month. If you have problems ordering hot lunch, please call us in the school office at 321-6126. Please do not select the “get help” option on the website as you will not be able to “get much help” there!

St. Gerard School is in desperate need of playground help as well as a Crossing Guard each morning and afternoon of the school days.

--Playground supervision consists of monitoring daily recess for grades kindergarten-8th grade. The recess schedule is Monday-Friday 10:30-12:30.

--Crossing Guard supervision consists of monitoring students who walk to and from school across Willow Highway at the designated crosswalk. The crossing guard schedule is Monday- Friday each morning from roughly 7:30-7:45 a.m. and after school from 2:45-3:00 p.m.

**Both recess & crossing guard hold the responsibility of providing safety for our students in active play & transportation. Both are hourly paid positions. Contact Sara Wade if you can help!

swade@stgerardlansing.org

If you are new to St. Gerard:

A reminder that preschool, kindergarten, and 7th grade students have specific immunization as well as hearing and vision screening (kindergarten) requirements that must be met by the first day of school. Verification needs to be submitted to the office.

If you are in need of having your child’s books (2nd - 8th grades) covered this fall, you are not too late! Books will be covered and ready to go the first day of school and you will be supporting the 8th graders in their fundraising efforts for Washington, D.C. Pricing is as follows: (1) student: $15, (2) students: $20, and family maximum: $25. If you are interested, mail or drop off a check in the school or parish office with your child’s name(s) and grade for the 2023-24 school year. Checks can be made out to St. Gerard School. Please label: Book Covers. Thank you!

Total TRIP Credits applied to Tuition Accounts for 2022 - 2023 was $9,850.35

TRIP News Weekly TRIP orders will resume on Tuesday, August 1st. Parents may place orders anytime before 9:00 AM on Mondays and will be available for pick up in the school office by Friday. If you have any questions about this program or are new to it, please call our school office at 517-321-6126.

Note: TRIP tuition credit will be posted to your family Smart Tuition account at the end of each semester. TRIP credit earned during the 2023-2024 school year will be credited during the current academic year. The first credit will take place in January and the second credit will be in June. If your account balance is zero at the time of TRIP posting, it will then appear as a credit for the upcoming school year. Remember you can always designate your TRIP to Lansing Catholic as well.

TRIP- Information regarding our TRIP program will be available at Open House. Please stop by the school office and Shawn Macksood will be available to answer any questions you may have on getting started.

This year, we will be evaluating the use & effectiveness of the TRIP program. If our families don't see the benefits of it, the program may dissolve the year of 2024-2025.

Earn money towards St. Gerard or LCHS tuition working at the St. Gerard concession stand at the MSU football or men's basketball games. 8th grade parents can earn towards the DC trip by working at the St. Gerard MSU football concession stand as well.

This season our stands earned an average of $120/shift (football) and $87/shift (basketball). Students aged 14+ can work with a parent to earn money or service hours. Email stgmsuconcessions@gmail.com with questions. After July 1st all volunteers will need to complete a background check at: https://concessions.rhs.msu.edu/volunteer-application-and-background-check-authorization-form

2023 home football games: 9/2; 9/9; 9/16; 9/23; 10/21; 11/4; 11/25

5th & 6th Grade Girls

Skills testing dates are as follows:

5th grade girls’ registration and skills testing Weds. Aug 16th. @ 5:00 p.m.

6th grade girls’ registration and skills testing Weds Aug. 16th. @ 6:15 p.m.

See attached registration form & informational from Pat Malacina, our athletic director.

Registration form:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10S_Wm-TJzBFUZDnmilPILNWmPK9abgMG/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101215444825722745433&rtpof=true&sd=true

Informational Letter:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_HW017JXSot90AOmvmgO8ExeIMCec7Y5/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101215444825722745433&rtpof=true&sd=true

We love parent volunteers, St. Gerard is made better because of our partnership! The Diocese of Lansing requires an volunteer with any contact with a student(s) other than your own to be VIRTUS trained, no exceptions! This coming year, all volunteers need to be re-certified. Look for additional information to come from our school & parish to ensure your VIRTUS training is good to go!

A VIRTUS training session will be offered at St. Gerard on Monday, Sept. 18th @ 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall. You will need to register ahead of time at www.virtus.org

Students that ride Waverly buses will begin riding on Thursday, August 24th. You will receive an email from Waverly mid-August with the bus routes. You will receive a full calendar at Open House regarding other dates that may affect transportation for our students riding a Waverly Bus.

4th grade: We are excited to welcome Mrs. Lindsay Riley back to our staff! As a St. Gerard former aide and current parent & parishoner, Lindsay became a certified teacher and has been at St. Michael's for the past two years. We are thrilled to have her back in our building.

Physical Education: Troy Noeker joins our staff this year! Troy comes from Haslett Public Schools and has a number of years experience in Physical Education. We are thrilled to welcome Troy to St. Gerard!

Sign up is Monday, Aug. 21st and will take place during our school’s Open House from 1:00 - 2:30 pm and 5:00 - 6:30 pm. Matt Hicks will be the coach.

This is a very relaxed recreational soccer program open for children Kindergarten through 3rd Grade. This program will include approximately 30 minutes of practice and drills followed by a 30 minute scrimmage. Shin guards are recommended and cleats but not mandatory. The season consists of 6 sessions that are held on Sundays at 1 p.m. and Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. All sessions will be held on #3 baseball field located just south of the church parking lot. Below are the dates:

Wednesday, September 6th @ 6:00 pm

Sunday September 10th @ 1:00 pm

Wednesday, September 13th @ 6:00 pm

Sunday, September 17th @ 1:00 pm

Wednesday, September 20th @ 6:00 pm

Sunday, September 24th @ 1:00pm

***THIS PROGRAM RELIES SOLELY ON PARENT VOLUNTEER COACHES SO PLEASE VOLUNTEER!***

Ursula Klein Junior Cougar Performing Arts Program Jazz Band

The Ursula Klein Jr. Cougar Jazz Band is open to students in grade 6-8 who participate in their middle school band programs. Home schooled students should have some instrumental instruction in addition to this program. Typical jazz band instrumentation includes, Alto, tenor and bari saxophones, Trombones, Trumpets, piano, bass, drum set, and guitar. Students who play other band instruments are encouraged to join as well.

This program will run September 6 through December 6. Rehearsals will be Wednesday after school 3:30-4:45. The final concert will be on the LCHS Instrumental Christmas Concert.

Cost for this session is $70. Students will receive a t-shirt, method book and music. Students are expected to come to rehearsals. A parent should email Jan.Tietsort@lansingcatholic.org if a student is unable to attend. All students will be expected to perform at the concerts.

Please use this form to sign up for this program:

https://forms.gle/tuXYZGGdgecRuN386

Contact Mrs. Tietsort (Jan.Tietsort@lansingcatholic.org) if you have further questions.

Athletics

Watch the Thursday Communicator each week for athletic opportunities through Jr. Cougars. There has been a delay in their updated website with information, stay tuned as they work to resolve this.

The Jr. Cougar program is looking for a 7th & 8th grade girls' volleyball coach! If you are interested, contact Marcus Kirkpatrick @ marcus.kirkpatrick@lansingcatholic.org

Tuesday, Aug. 8th Used Uniform Sale in the Uniform Closet from 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, Aug. 15th Band Fitting for 5th grade & new students - 5:30-7:00 pm-by appointment only.

Wednesday, Aug. 16th Volleyball skills testing in the gym

5th grade girls @ 5:00 p.m. 6th grade girls @ 6:15 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 18th First Day to Order September hot lunch (window opens)

Monday, Aug. 21st Preschool - 8th Grade Open House - 1:00-2:30 pm or 5:00 - 6:30 pm.

Please refer to the supply list as to what items to bring to the Open House.

Soccer sign up during Open House

Tuesday, Aug. 22nd “New” Preschool Families Open House from 5:00 - 6:30 PM

NO SCHOOL!

Wednesday, Aug. 23rd First Day of School for K-8 *Sack lunches needed through 8/31

Thursday, Aug. 24th Waverly Buses begin today

Friday, August 25th Last day to order hot lunch for September!

Tuesday, Aug. 29th First day of Preschool

K-6th Parent Meeting at 6:30 pm in Fr. Weber Hall

**Two teacher sessions will run after the general assembly meeting from approximately 7:00-7:30 PM and then 7:35-8:05 PM

Wednesday, Aug. 30th World of Art Parent Meeting @ 6:00 in the art room

Friday, Sept. 1st No School/Labor Day Weekend/Child Care Open

Monday, Sept. 4th No School/Labor Day/Child Care Closed

Tuesday, Sept. 5th Hot lunch program begins

Junior High Parent Meeting at 6:30 PM in Fr. Weber Hall

*Junior high student attendance is highly encouraged!

Friday, Sept. 8th All School Mass @ 8:10 am - All are welcome to join us!

Tuesday, Sept. 12th Preschool Parent Mtg./Fr. Weber Hall @ 6:30 pm.

Wednesday, Sept. 13th Picture Day

Monday, Sept. 18th Virtus Training @ 6:00 pm in the Parish Hall/St. Gerard Church

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.