God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you burdened and grieved by the evil and destruction of violence, entrusting to your mercy each victim of this horrific crime.

Father of mercies and God of all consolation, who console us in our every affliction, comfort the families and friends of each victim, give solace to grieving communities, and bring peace to anxious hearts.

O God of peace, who are peace itself and whom a spirit of discord cannot grasp, nor a violent mind receive, grant to those who are tempted to commit these acts repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, so that they may return to their senses and escape the snare of the devil.

O God, author and lover of peace, defend against every attack those who cry to you, so that all who trust in your protection may not fear the weapons of any foe.

O God, merciful and strong, be pleased to banish violence swiftly from our midst and to wipe away all tears, so that we may all truly deserve to be called your children.

Amen.

Dear Bruin Family,

It was a warm week on campus but that didn't stop us from learning and growing!

Tonight we will brave the heat for our annual Back to School BBQ and we can't wait to see you there! We will have a sprinkler and water blasters for our little ones to stay cool, so please bring appropriate clothing and towels. Our PTO and parent volunteers will be serving up some delicious burgers and hotdogs and Student Council will be selling refreshments. The Kona Ice truck will be there to cool us down with their delicious shaved ice as well! We invite you to bring an EZ Up if you wish for extra shade and will keep the ADB open if you need a brief reprieve in the A/C! Finally, we encourage you to support our PTO in our Gift Card Basket and 50/50 raffle and by purchasing your St. Dorothy swag! Cash and check only will be accepted.

Students started taking their STAR assessments this week and it was lovely stopping into the classrooms to see them putting forth their best efforts. We were also blessed to come together again for our first school mass of the year this morning! It is always a beautiful thing to finish off our week as a community in prayer, especially after the recent school tragedy in Georgia. Please continue to pray for the victims and for an end to gun violence.

I cannot wait to gather as a community this evening! Thank you in advance to all of the PTO members and parent volunteers who participated in making this evening a success!

Sincerely,

Mr. Ryan Nearhoff

Last week we sent home a hard copy of the Home Income Survey to all families. This is required of all St. Dorothy families but we are still missing over 50 forms. We ask that you please turn in this form to the office immediately. These documents are extremely important as the information collected from them is required for us to receive any Title funding from the local school districts. If you misplaced the form, please let the office know and we will provide you with a new one. Thank you!

Every month we will host a family mass at the 9:30am mass! The first one of the year will take place on September 15th. This is also Catechetical Sunday and all of our teachers will receive a special blessing as Catechists of the faith. In the family mass, children from St. Dorothy Catholic School and parish will participate as lectors and ushers in addition to altar serving. We are looking for students who would be interested in reading or ushering at our first family mass. If your child is interested and available please email Mr. Nearhoff at rnearhoff@stdorothyschool.com

We also encourage students to attend mass in their school uniform. Students who attend in uniform will receive a "Free Dress Pass" to be used at school!

This week, students began taking their first of three STAR tests throughout the school year. Students are tested in the areas of Early Literacy in TK-1st Grade and in Reading and Math in Grades 2nd-8th. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Catholic schools use Renaissance Star as our system-wide growth assessment tool. It is intended to be used as a tool to monitor overall progress and growth, provide benchmark data to identify if students are on track for high school and college readiness and are achieving sufficient growth. In conjunction with classroom data, teachers use Renaissance Star to identify students in need of additional supports.

While this is not the sole means of assessment for our students we do encourage all students to do their best when taking the STAR tests as it provides valuable data that is used to guide instructional decisions. Please ensure that students are getting adequate rest and eating a proper breakfast the day before and the day of their testing.

Our first big fundraiser of the year is fast approaching! Please see the attached PDF for information regarding registration and more. We also have a link below for a video that walks you through the process!

This year we've invited Epic Programs to offer classes on our St. Dorothy campus! They will be offering two 6-week programs starting in September. Click the PDF links below for a registration form as well as information on each program.

Our Youth Ministry Coordinator will be attending the Holy Fire Middle School event on Saturday, September 28th and wants to invite our St. Dorothy Middle Schoolers to attend as well!

At Holy Fire, middle school Catholics are invited and challenged to embrace their baptismal call and the powerful, relevant gospel of Jesus. Through talks by dynamic speakers, witness by peers, inspirational praise and worship, and rich experiences of the Sacraments, Holy Fire helps young people feel seen, welcomed, and invited into a life-changing commitment to Christ.

Hosted by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and brought to you by the producers of NCYC, the nation’s largest Catholic youth event: the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, in partnership with Equipping the Saints, a division of Declan Weir Productions, Inc.

Featuring: Bishop Albert Bahhuth, Giancarlo Bernini, Maggie Craig, Noelle Garcia, and Thomas Muglia

Who: Middle School Youth
When: Saturday, September 28, 2024 - Meet at St. Dorothy at 7:30 am. The event is from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Mass will be held at 4:00 PM.
Where: St. John Eudes Parish, 9901 Mason Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311 (we will carpool to the event)
Cost: $60 per person. Please pay by clicking here. Switch to "One-time Gift" and select "Youth Ministry" in the drop down menu.
Forms: Please fill out the following forms in this link and submit them by September 20th.

Lunch will be provided at the event.

Holy Fire T-Shirts: T-Shirts are available for an additional $12. Please mark whether you would like a T-shirt.

Here is the link to sign up: https://forms.gle/EUqG1axY3b5ZmsvL9

Here is the link to pay: https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Giving/PS-1498

The St. Dorothy Catholic School apparel store is now open for a limited time only! Click the link below to order your SD swag and show your school spirit!

Click on the links below to sign up for regular volunteering opportunities to start completing those parent hours!

We are looking for coordinators and volunteers to continue offering our Bruins Explore activities throughout the school year! As coordinator, you will choose the activity for that week, plan, and oversee it. As a volunteer, you will assist the coordinator on that given Friday. Bruins Explore will be offered on Friday's after school this year. Snacks will be provided. Please contact Kathryn Hnatiuk with any questions via the SignUp Genius below. (Activity ideas: arts & crafts, STEM project, drama/theater, gardening... the possibilities are endless!) Please note: last year we had approximately 50 kids registered for each activity. This is a great opportunity to fulfill your hours while simultaneously offering our students extra-curricular development! We thank you for your willingness to contribute.

St Dorothy’s St. Vincent de Paul Conference is participating in the Friends of the Poor Walk to raise money to help those in need. If you would like to help, please see the QR Code in the flyer attached below. Everyone is welcome to join in this walk on the day of the event. If you have any questions, please email at stdorothysvdp@gmail.com.

The Next Generation Parish: Called to Renew campaign is progressing wonderfully, with over 200 parishioner families participating in renewing and enhancing our parish church for the Next Generation of parishioners, our students. Together, we have pledged over $3.7 million towards this important initiative. Now is the time to submit your pledge card to the parish office and fulfill your pledge by making a gift online. Thank you to all who have pledged their support! For more information, visit the link below.

Today's parent university will focus on how to talk about acts of violence, like the recent shootings in Georgia, with your children. Please continue to pray for all of the families affected.

September 7-8 || Get to know your child’s teachers

As your children head back to school, make it a priority to meet all their teachers in person if you can. Many of us get to know our child’s classroom teacher easily, through back-to-school night, or parent-teacher conferences. But you should become familiar with all the adults that your child will spend a portion of their day with — art, science and special subject teachers, cafeteria workers, etc. To continue to keep our children safe, knowing the adults who are taking care of them is a great first step. For more back to school tips, read the VIRTUS® article “Three Things that Simply Must Be Done” on lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

September 14-15 || Consider rules around school devices

If your child is using a tablet, iPad, or phone for school this year, you need to be aware of what they can access online. While many school devices may have safety controls in place, children are pretty creative, and may be able to maneuver around these safeguards. Consider making a “tech space” in your home, where all devices live when they are not in use — and make it centrally located, so you know whenever someone takes a device. Consider also having your children use their devices in the main area of the house, with supervision. For more information, read the VIRTUS® article “5 Keys to Monitoring Kids Online Activity” on lacatholics.org/did-you-know/.

To educate TK-Eighth grade students in a Catholic environment in which the curriculum emphasizes spiritual, ethical, and social values of the Catholic faith to become responsible and moral citizens within the global community.

Supporting the belief that parents are the primary educators of their children, we as educators at St. Dorothy Catholic School, dedicate ourselves to partner with the parents in preparing children to become contributing members of the community. To achieve this, we provide holistic development in psychological, emotional, social and physical health, with an emphasis on academics, faith, and Christian service.

In collaboration with parents, we champion student achievement through the presentation, practice, and study of Catholic doctrine, a strong academic curriculum, multimedia and multi-cultural experiences, physical education, extracurricular programs, and the dedicated commitment of the teachers and staff.

Email: info@stdorothyschool.com

Website: www.stdorothyschool.com
Location: 215 South Valley Center Avenue, Glendora, CA, USA
Phone: (626) 335-0772