Remember us, O God;

from age to age be our comforter.

You have given us the wonder of time,

blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.

Bless your children at the turning of the year

and fill the months ahead with the bright hope

that is ours in the coming of Christ.

You are our God, living and reigning, forever and ever.

AMEN.

Dear Bruin Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful and joyful holiday season. As we begin this new year, I’m filled with excitement for the wonderful opportunities and moments we will share together.

Looking ahead, we are gearing up for Catholic Schools Week, which will be held from January 26th to January 31st. This is a special time to celebrate our faith, our school, and the strong sense of community that makes us unique. We have a week full of exciting activities planned, including our Open House, Science Fair, Book Fair, and fun ways to recognize our students, teachers, staff, and families.

I encourage everyone to get involved and show our school spirit as we celebrate the amazing things that make our Catholic school so special.

Let’s make 2025 a year full of growth, joy, and community. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when we return next week!

Blessings to you and your families.

Sincerely,

Mr. Ryan Nearhoff

Our entrance and parking lot were under construction over winter break and you will be returning to a newly paved entrance and a re-striped parking lot. The new pavement has been poured and the striping will be completed by the time we return. We are grateful to Fr. Ron for undertaking this project and continually improving our campus.

Please make sure to follow all of the newly striped traffic flow indicators when returning to school on Tuesday and, as always, drive slowly and cautiously while on campus at all times.

We will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 26th-Jan. 31st. Each day will be themed and we will participate in special activities to celebrate our school and Catholic education. Please see below for a list of special dress up days to join in the fun. We apologize that these dress up days were not on the initial calendar. These dress up themes are suggested to add to the fun but are not required. Students will be permitted to wear free dress on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday whether or not their outfit matches the theme. We do require that all students follow our non-uniform dress guidelines. Thank you!

Monday (Celebrating our Nation) - Wear Patriotic Clothing

Tuesday (Celebrating Faculty, Staff, and Volunteers) - Dress like your favorite staff member

Wednesday (Celebrating Vocations) - Mass Uniform

Thursday (Celebrating Students) - Free Dress in House Colors

Friday (Celebrating Community) - Dress like a Champion (Athletic wear, super heroes, or your favorite athlete)

Our St. Dorothy Apparel store has reopened so that you can stock up on your SD swag. Make sure to check out our newly featured, warm winter fleeces! Shop now and until January 19th!

The 6th Grade Catalina Trip will take place from March 7th-9th, 2025. There are 17 available slots this year and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. We will be hosting an information session for any families interested in registering their child for this year’s trip on Wednesday, January 15th @ 6pm in the 6th Grade classroom. Please contact Mr. Nearhoff if you have any questions.

We are excited to welcome back the team of educators at EPIC Programs for some more STEM-based, after school programming in the new year. They will be offering two different courses and will be joining us during lunch on January 8th to provide a demo for the students. The classes begin on Thursday, January 16th and Friday, January 17th. Class times are from 3:15-4:15pm on Thursdays and 1:15-2:15pm on Fridays. The cost for the full 6 week program is $150. The classes being offered are...

Rocket Racers 🚀 (Thursdays, 3:15-4:15pm for 6 weeks - ALL GRADE LEVELS)

• Rocket Racers is a class that focuses on aerodynamics to build 5 different types of rockets that students are able to launch. Students are taught to construct their rockets after lessons on force, lift, balance, engine design, drag, and more!

Reaction Time 🧪 (Fridays, 1:15-2:15pm for 6 weeks - ALL GRADE LEVELS)

• Using the scientific method approach, students will learn how to control enzymatic reactions, build polymers, and experiment with Non-Newtonian fluids. This curriculum focuses on the chemical elements involved in each experiment.

During our initial yearly planning, our Color Run fundraiser was scheduled for January 31st. As January is proving to be a very busy month, and to ease the burden of another fundraiser after the action packed and costly holiday season, we've decided to move the date of the Color Run to Friday, March 28th. As a result of this, we will have a minimum day on the 28th of March and our school mass will be moved to Wednesday, March 26th.

Congratulations to our Week #7,8,9 Football Mania Winners and thank you to the ticket seller families!!

• $25 - Peter Johnston (ticket sold by the Villalobos Family - Grade 4)
• $25 - Michael Heredia (ticket sold by the Martinez Family - Grades K)
• $200 - Susie Hernandez (ticket sold by the Carmona Family - Grade 2)
• $25 - Tim DeWeese (ticket sold by the Vargas Family - Grade K)
• $25 - Marcella Fournell (ticket sold by the Fournell Family - Grade 5/8)
• $25 - Brenda Lomeli (ticket sold by the Lomeli Family - Grade 5)
• $25 - Jeffrey Olivas (ticket sold by the Vargas Family - Grade K)
• $25 - Margot Melieste (ticket sold by the Tapert Family - Grade 2)
• $50 - Osvaldo Sanchez (ticket sold by the Sanchez Family - Grade TK/3)
• $400 - Corrine Mojica (ticket sold by the Mojica Family - Grade TK/4)
• $25 - George Ascencio (ticket sold by the Kasper Family - Grade 6)
• $25 - Demeon Dorsey (ticket sold by the Dorsey Family - Grade 2)
• $25 - Carlos Villalobos (ticket sold by the Villalobos Family - Grade 4)
• $25 - Esequiel Carmona (ticket sold by the Carmona Family - Grade 2)
• $25 - Sabashden Hernandez (ticket sold by the Hernandez Family - Grade K/2)
• $25 - Yolanda DiPietro (ticket sold by the Hnatiuk Family - Grade 1,3,5,7,8)

Click below for the January menu.

While the date of the Color Run has been pushed back to March, we would still love to get our t-shirt orders prepared. Please complete the form below to submit your child's shirt size for their complimentary Color Run 2025 shirt. Please complete this form by Friday, January 10th. Thank you!

Effective January 1st, we will transition away from GiveSmart as a means to collect payment for fundraising and special events. We will be transitioning to a similar platform called Greater Giving for the future. We've decided to move to Greater Giving for several reasons but, namely, because it is more cost effective, user friendly, and will serve us better for our approaching Beats and Brews fundraising event in May.

Additionally, we are trying to simplify payment collection for special events by utilizing our website which has built in software that is safe and reliable. As we transition to these new methods of payment collection, we will make sure to communicate any and all necessary information needed as you process payment.

Our Beats and Brews committee is well underway in planning for this years event taking place on Friday, May 9th at St. Dorothy Catholic School. We are very excited to improve upon the success of last year and raise even more to support the continued success of St. Dorothy and our Endowment Fund. We are seeking sponsorships for the event and encourage you to review the flyer below if you, or someone you know, might be interested. Thank you for your support!

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

January 4-5 || Our mission to protect vulnerable adults

Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. adults report living with some kind of disability, ranging from physical limitations to diminished mental capabilities. Misunderstandings and misconceptions about a person’s individual disabilities can put that person at risk for abuse. By adopting practices that aim to understand a person’s unique circumstances, abilities, and challenges, we can work to protect those who are vulnerable in our communities. Some examples which can help foster safety and community include: asking questions instead of making assumptions, focusing on a person’s abilities and using positive language. For more information, read the VIRTUS® article “Our Mission to Protect Vulnerable Adults” at lacatholics.org/did-you-know.

January 11-12 || The REPORT Act protects minors online

A bipartisan bill passed last year is helping internet platforms protect children from abuse and enticement in their online interactions. The REPORT Act, passed in May 2024, requires U.S.-based online platforms to report child sex trafficking and online enticement to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). To assist with this, NCMEC has issued guidelines intended to help online platforms play a crucial role in protecting children by recognizing key signs and indicators of child sexual exploitation. For more information, visit https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2024/first-line-of-defense-guidelines-to-help-online-platforms-detect-sexually-exploited-kids.

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