May 17th, 2012
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am sure that your children told you the news that Fr. Stephen fell while biking on Monday night and cracked his femur just under the hip socket. He had surgery on Tuesday morning and had a pin and screws put in. He currently is at the St. Cloud Hospital but may be released today. I am sure that he will be staying at St. John’s Health Care Center for his recuperation. There will be no morning mass. We will have a Prayer Service on Wednesday, May 23rd. If Deacon Jerry Theis is available, he will lead the prayer service. Otherwise I will lead the prayer service for the children. Our first graders are in charge! As always, they will take charge of the introduction, first reading and petitions. We will also celebrate May baptisms at the prayer service. Those celebrating their May baptisms are: Curtis Rothstein, Alex Wenner, Tristan Lewellyn, Brayden Holthaus, and Olivia Schroeder. Fr. Cletus (St. Boniface) will celebrate the 9:30 a.m. Mass at our June 1st graduation. Fr. William Skudlarek , a priest from St. John’s, will cover the weekend mass. Deacon Jerry Theis will have the homily for this weekend.
Plantenberg’s Receipts – We are getting closer but we are not there yet. As of Tuesday, We have collected $141,389.78 towards our $150,000 goal. We have $8,610.22 left to collect. We need to collect this amount by June 1st. Please, please ask neighbors, friends and relatives to help us out! Thanks.
Crazy Time of The Year- This is always such a crazy time of the year because I feel like I am living in two years. (I am sure you feel the same way!) We are busy wrapping up the 2011-2012 school year and preparing for the 2012-2013 school year. A little part of me always wants to say STOP … let’s enjoy summer first! But it doesn’t work that way! Included in this folder is some important information for next year. Please put it in a safe spot.
- 2012 – 2013 School Calendar – We are trying something new with our Fall Open House. We will try to put all forms on line for parents to fill out at home. On the evening of Open House, you can drop off forms, pay milk/tuition, visit the classrooms and join us for a picnic supper!
- 2012-2013 Supply List – Tuck this in a safe spot so you will have it when the Back To School Sales begin this summer.
- ACH Tuition Withdrawal Authorization – This form allows you to pay your tuition over a 12-month period beginning July 15th 2012 to June 15th 2013. I think this is a wonderful way to go! You can spread tuition payments out an additional three months. I would encourage everyone to take part in it, especially those who may be scrambling to pay tuition by June 1st. I used to always have to scramble to get funds available for my 6-month car insurance payment. When I discovered monthly automatic withdrawals many years ago, it has made life simpler. Thanks for considering this!
Staff High School Graduation Pictures –The children have been doing a great job determining when the staff graduated from high school. They may need help! They still haven’t figured out Mrs. Lieser, Mrs. Meyer, Mrs. Ingman and Joe Willenbring.
Iowa Test of Basic Skills – Gr. 3-5 parents will find their child’s Iowa Test of Basic Skills results in your folder today. The classes did well. We always score highest in math. Reading is a close second. We do struggle a bit in the Language Area (capitalization, punctuation, and usage). I believe it is because the students are tested in a format different from the one used in school. This will more than likely be our last year using the ITBS tests as we are in the process of implementing the MAPS testing for next year. The teachers and I will attend training on August 22nd. Because this is an online testing method, I am already working with a consultant from NWEA on computer/server configurations.
Perennial Plant Sale – Join us for our Perennial Plant Sale this Saturday, May 19th from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and after the 4:30 p.m. Saturday Mass and the 8:30 a.m. Sunday Mass. Thank you to Helen Prill who has taken charge of this event for us. Christi Becker will be back to help Helen. Together they have a ton of expertise on flowers. It is always so much fun to be around them. Workers are as follows:
Friday Set –Up, May 18th (6:00 – 8:00) Kelly Bautch, Helen Prill, Karen Blattner
Saturday, May 19th (9:00 – 12:00) Kelly Bautch, Helen Prill, Deb Reinhardt,
Saturday, May 19th (after 4:30 p.m. mass) Helen Prill
Sunday, May 20th (after 8:30 a.m. mass) Helen Prill, Jayme Walker
Watershed Traveling Display – I believe the Sauk River Watershed Traveling Display Board should arrive today or tomorrow! It is a great way to learn more about our environment. The fourth and fifth graders certainly have enjoyed having Adam Hjelm, (educational director) visit their classrooms throughout the year.
Marketing Committee – Our marketing committee will meet on Tuesday, May 22nd at 4:00 p.m. to work on our brochure, etc. We finally got our new logo in the correct format so the Cold Spring Record could use it this week. Check it out!
Gr. 3-5 Fieldtrip – Our third through fifth graders will be off to the Science Museum and Omni Theatre on Thursday, May 24th.
Last Days of Preschool – Our preschoolers will have their last day of preschool on May 24th and May 25th. I never imagined how much I would enjoy having preschool in our building. They added a whole new dimension. Thank you to Jo Ingman who has done such a terrific job! She has put in countless hours and it showed. Next Year – I talked to Dave Feldhege, Richmond Bus, this week and he indicated that it was very likely that busing could be provided for preschoolers next year. They obviously will be able to only pick up children in the “town area” and not be able to pick up children who live in the country. The Hard Part – He is waiting to find out what preschoolers would like to be bussed to establish a fee and parents are waiting to find out the fee to see if they would enroll their child! Please send your preschool child’s enrollment in ASAP. Thanks!
Early Out – The children will be dismissed at 12:50 p.m. on Friday, May 25th. Enjoy your L-O-N-G weekend.
No School – There will NO SCHOOL on Memorial Day, May 28th. As a daughter of a WWII veteran, I always feel it is important that we do spend some time on this day to remember all the wonderful women and men who have (and still are) serving our country.
President’s Physical Fitness Awards – Mr. Shaw will hand out the President’s Physical Fitness Awards at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30th. As always, you are invited to attend.
Field Day – We will have our field day on Thursday, May 31st. We will ride the bus to Centennial Park at 12:00 noon. (We are eating early that day!) The children will take part in ten relay activities and just have time to play! We will then ride the bus back to school. As always, you are invited to join us!
Last Day of School – Can you believe it is almost here? We will celebrate our kindergarten students and fifth graders on June 1st with a 9:30 a.m. mass followed by short program and refreshments. (Just to give you a heads up! We are having fruit for our refreshments. In the past, we have had cake but since we are having lunch at 11:30 a.m. it seemed foolish to eat our dessert first!) Thank you to the Kindergarten and Fifth Grade parents who have responded to the invitation. Berni Doll is busy making place cards and Cyndy & I are busy working on seating arrangements for mass and program. We appreciate if you can get this info to us ASAP. Kindergarten and fifth graders will go home with their parents. You certainly may take their siblings along too.
Picnic Lunch – We will have a picnic lunch at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, June 1st. Parents are certainly invited to join us for grilled Plantenberg’s hotdogs. Please let us know ASAP if you will be joining us as Barb needs to order the hotdogs and other supplies. The cost for the meal is $3.25 for adults and $2.25 for children. We keep it simple and eat sitting on the ground. You may bring a blanket along if you would like. You also may take your child home after lunch!
Sauk River Chain of Lakes Annual Meeting – The Sauk River Chain of Lakes will have their annual meeting on Saturday, June 5th at Sts. Peter & Paul School. We are in charge of the coffee/rolls. Thank you to Bobb/Dave Noll, Kevin/Pam Bierschbach, Dale/Brenda Job/ and Karl/Vicki Holthaus who have volunteered to help. Please arrive at the school around 8:00 a.m. Thanks. (We usually are finished by 11:00 a.m. unless the organization has “hot topics” to discuss.)
Golf Tournament – Don’t forget our annual Sts. Peter & Paul Golf Tournament that will be held on Friday, June 8th at River Oaks Golf Course in Cold Spring. We are still in need of teams, hole sponsors, and raffle prizes. I tucked a registration form in today’s folder just to entice you! It is such a fun day! The best part is that you don’t even have to be a golfer since it is a 4 person scramble. Those scheduled to work are: Jodi/Rick Jude, Christi/Mike Bell, Bobbi/Dave Noll, Nate/Missy Guetter, Ed/Sharon Rothstein, Anton/Amy Schreifels, Pat/Steph Soschnik, Scott/Tracy Donabauer, Chuck/Michelle Schmitz, Bill/Paula Thelen, Troy Hennen, Karl/Vicki Holthaus. I have tucked in this folder a form for you to indicate the area you would like to work. (It looks like a large group but I know many are on the golf committee and already committed so we need ALL volunteers!)
Big Fundraiser – We have talked and talked about having a BIG FUNDRAISER that could replace the smaller fundraisers and make life easier for parents. The school board has agreed to this plan! But we need EVERYONE to help make it a success! (People often ask me what fundraisers we will give up. I won’t know this until we see the success of the fundraiser as the budget requires us to bring in a certain amount of fundraising dollars!) We are having a Planning Meeting on Monday, June 11th at 7:00 p.m. We need volunteers to attend this meeting so we can plan for this event. Included in the event will be a meal, raffle, silent auction, live auction and MORE! Please share your talents! Call me at 597-2565 to let me know you will be joining us!
Vacation Bible School – I hope your children are taking advantage of Vacation Bible School, June 11th – 15th. It is always such a fun week. Teri Krowka-Ansberry and her helper visited the classrooms yesterday to stir up excitement!
River Lake Days Bingo – Just a reminder we will have Bingo (at school) on Friday, July 20th at 8:00 p.m. I am still looking for volunteers to help. Thank you to Chuck Hentges, Ed & Sharon Rothstein, Josh & Sabrina Kraemer who have volunteered to help. We still need 4 -6 more volunteers. Please make my day and VOLUNTEER! Thanks!
Dream Big: Read! Please encourage your children to READ this summer. The Great River Regional Library has a Summer Reading Program called Dream Big: Read! Check it out! They will have incentives and interesting events to make the program fun for young library users.
Other Library Resources – The Great River Regional Library also has several online resources for families.
- Tumblebook Library is an online library with more than 200 animated picture books for young readers. It also includes read-along books for older children, games and non-fiction.
- Learning Express Library offers practice tests, exercises and coursework to help ensure students success. Materials are offered from elementary school to GED.
St. John’s Summer Camps – St. John’s is offering the following camps this summer: Art-Nature, Theatre Skill Camp, German Camp and Chinese Camp. Send a note to Cyndy Willenbring if you would like more information.
Bingo Schedule – I will send a new Bingo Schedule home next week. Fifth grade parents (whose youngest child is in fifth grade), please know that we ask you to work through the summer months until we can get the new parents on in the fall. (We would love to have your stay on another year!!) Thanks for your help!
Tuition! _Tuition! Tuition – Just a reminder that all tuition is due by June 1st. Please send me a note indicating when you will be paying tuition as I will have to start making phone calls next week. (Collecting tuition is my least favorite job!) Thanks.
The weekend looks wonderful! Enjoy it!
Blessings,
Jacqueline L Walz
