The Hornet's Buzz

October 11, 2024

Gracious God, help us to love and care for each other.

Grow our love so deep that it is able and willing to overcome and forgive any misgivings.

We acknowledge that you have given each of us spiritual gifts.

Help us to put our own needs aside and use those gifts to serve one another well.

We will rely on the strength and energy You supply.

We pray that everything we do will bring you glory. Amen.

Happy Friday, Holy Cross Community!

October continues to bring many wonderful moments of community and togetherness as our Hornets learn and grow in faith. Students in Grades K-1 visited Faulkner's Ranch, students in Grade 5 had their third STARBASE field trip, and we hosted our PK3 and PK4 Muffins with Mummy event this morning! We also conducted a successful, announced tornado drill at 10:00 am this morning and we will have an announced fire drill next week.

After a month of different celebrations, we held our Hispanic Heritage Month extended assembly this afternoon to celebrate the invaluable cultural contributions and historical impact of the Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. We celebrated the diversity of our wonderful community members as 51% of our students are Hispanic/Latino. We came together in the spirit of the theme, Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together, to recognize how Hispanic/Latino contributions have inspired and continue to inspire others to succeed. During the assembly, Honors Spanish students from Saint Thomas Aquinas gave a presentation about Día de los Metros, showed students how to make an ofrenda, and led a mask-decorating activity with students. Our event also included beautiful dances from Peru, Mexico and Honduras/Central America by our very own community members. A million thanks to the Fernandez, Trejo and Argueta families, as well as Sabor a Perú and Centroamérica Unida and all who made this such a memorable and joyful event!

Please find below information regarding some upcoming events:

• Monday, October 14

This is a No School Day as teacher will attend a STREAM professional development session on Bulding Thinking Classrooms (BTC), an inquiry-based approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, which provides 14 specific teaching practices that have proven to enhance thinking in the math classrooms and beyond. BTC in the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway, and many more countries with great success.

• Tuesday, October 15

Students in Grades 6-8 will be visiting the WWI museum in the morning. Grades K-8 will participate in a Spanish-English walking Rosary at 2:00 pm to close Hispanic Heritage Month.

• Thursday, October 17
  

It's Twilight Madness Day! Join this Holy Cross tradition from 5:00 - 8:00 pm to support the teachers vs. students (Grades 5-8) volleyball games. Come support our Grade 8 Class fund and enjoy a pasta dinner from 5:00 - 5:45 pm.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences - October 23 and 24

We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming conferences on October 23 (1:30 -6:00 pm) and October 24 (8:30 - 6:30 pm). Please use this link to register.

• Trunk-or-Treat - October 25
  

Join us at our annual trunk-or-treat which takes place on Friday, October 25 from 5:00 - 9:00 pm. Please use this link to sign up for a trunk.

Wishing you a blessed and joyful weekend,

Paola V. Clark, Ed.D.

Principal

At the heart of a successful school is an engaged and strong community that comes together to best serve our students. We wholeheartedly invite you to share your God given gifts of Time, Treasure, and Talent in service of our school and Parish this school year. We have many opportunities for involvement and look forward to your wonderful contributions. We are actively seeking volunteers for:

• PTO: please click here to sign up for available roles.
  
• Celebration, the Parish and School's biggest fundraising event of the year: please email gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com if you have availability to support this event.

Please help us prioritize the safety and security of our students and staff. A reminder that parking is not permitting in the Tree lot during school hours. If you need to park and come in to the school, please use the front parking by the main office. Also, only turn right onto 95th when exiting the parking lot. All visitors must stop by the front office to check in.

The Student-Parent Handbook for 2024-25 can be accessed here. Please note that as part of our continuous improvement efforts, this is a living document that will be revised as needed in order to nimbly respond to any needs that may arise. Any edits will appear in a different font color.

Our annual trunk-or-treat will take place on Friday, October 25 from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the Church. Please join us for magical and spooky evening! Get ready to decorate your cars, bring some treats, and wear costumes, if you'd like. We look forward to seeing you there!

October 14 - NO School

October 17 - Twilight Madness

October 23 - 24 - Parent-Teacher Conferences

Education in Virtue, is the Archdiocesan Catholic Social Emotional Learning program which is a key component of our Virtuous Formation Program. It provides a curriculum and resources developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and based on St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings on the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. These resources provide a framework that helps all ages understand how to live a more virtuous life.

At Holy Cross, we highlight a virtue each month that is weaved organically into lessons and our daily school life. They are used in our announcements to guide our morning prayer, selection of the Saint of the Month, activities for our Faith Families, as well as classroom lessons. The virtue for the month of October is Humility (Humbleness).

See the links below for more information on lice, how to examine a scalp for lice, and a lice removal salon in the city.

Head Lice Information

How to Examine a Head

Lice Removal Salon Overland Park

Beginning Monday, August 16, we will go back to our regular office hours as follows:

Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Noon dismissal: 7:30 am - 12:00 pm

The best point of contact for any student matters, is your student's classroom teachers. Our team will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. Please note that this may take up to 2 business days to respond as our faculty and staff are tending to students and duties throughout the day. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

In case of an emergency, please call or email the Front Office at gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com and we will provide assistance.

October is National Bullying Awareness Month. This upcoming Monday, October 7 Holy Cross will join other schools and organizations across the country in observing World Day of Bullying Prevention by wearing a blue top and engaging in activities throughout the month and year. The goal is to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying and put an end to hatred and racism by increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of all forms of bullying on all children of all ages.

The Random Act of Kindness Foundation has multiple resources for schools and families to inspire and support making kindness the norm.

Hornet spirit wear with this year's theme is available for purchase at 1st Place Spiritwear. Explore all options and share your Hornet pride with the community as we celebrate our amazing students and school. This is also a great opportunity to support Holy Cross as we receive 10% back on all purchases.