Important News

POSTED: September 11, 2009

Hi-lites week of September 11, 2009

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What a terrific start! We are all happy to be back together again. I hope many of you can join us for our Opening Mass, Tuesday, September 15th, at noon at LCCC. Fr. Paul Feela will be our celebrant.

Hope to see you then. (Note: our darling kindergartners do not attend this first Mass with us. It is a spot overwhelming for them and their teachers.)

Students have been extremely cooperative about ramping up the hand washing, sanitizing, coughing into sleeves, and staying home when sick. As part of this newsnote, you will find our plan for dealing with that nasty H1N1 bug. We are asking all visitors to use hand sanitizer upon entering the building. You will even find a sanitizer dispenser in our elevator!

Jane Schmidt

Principal

8th Grade Bike Trip

Our current 8th graders enjoyed a wonderful camping/bike trip during the middle of August on the Spartan/Elroy Trail. It was a great way to come together as a class and a perfect kick-off of the school year. Thanks to the following parents for making this happen: Anne & Bob Maley, Liz & Tom Halsell, Eric Larson, Paul Theisen, Peg Kulhanek, Tim Rogers, Lisa Kleindl, Terese Radford, Michael Wright, Steve Dorchner, Anne Langford and Shawn Bartsh.

What is the Archdiocesan Planning Process?

Make plans to attend a Regional Parishioner Meeting to find out more about the Archdiocesan Planning Process. Come prepared to share your hopes and concerns with others in attendance.

The closest Regional Parishioner Meeting is:

Holy Spirit
St. Paul
Thursday, October 1st
7:00-9:00pm

Find a complete listing of Regional Parishioner Meetings and other information related to the Archdiocesan Planning Process on the archdiocesan planning webpage www.archspm.org/planningprocess

You may also share your thoughts via a feedback form on the webpage or our dedicated voicemail line at 651.291.4435. You may also speak with your pastor or send a letter to:

Strategic Planning Task Force
328 Kellogg Boulevard West
St. Paul, MN 55102

It is important for LCCC parishioners and our school families to be informed about this decision making process. We are pleased that former pastor, John Bauer, is co-chair of this Task Force.

Safety First

Here are some back to school safety tips for you and your child. These are those tried and true common sense safety reminders. Please chat about these around the dinner table. We want everyone to be safe!

* Plan a walking route to school or the bus stop. It is most helpful to choose the most direct way with the fewest street crossings and, if possible, with intersections that have crossing guards.

* Tell him or her to stay away from parks, vacant lots, fields and other places where there aren't many people around.

* Before crossing the street, stop at the curb, edge of the road, or corner before proceeding. Look left-right-left and, if it's clear, begin crossing, looking over your shoulder for turning vehicles. Continue to check for traffic while crossing.

* Teach your child never to talk to strangers or accept rides or gifts from strangers. Remember, a stranger is anyone you or your children don't know well or don't trust.

* Be sure your child walks to and from school with a sibling, friend, or neighbor. 
Teach your kids - whether walking, biking, or riding the bus to school - to obey all traffic signals, signs and traffic officers. Remind them to be extra careful in bad weather.

* If your child bikes to school, make sure he/she wears a helmet that meets the safety standards. Research indicates that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent.

* If your child rides a scooter to school, make sure he/she wears sturdy shoes, a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads.

* Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street, watch for cars, and avoid the driver's blind spot.

* Remind your children to stay seated at all times and keep their heads and arms inside the bus while riding. When exiting the bus, children should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop, exit from the front using the handrail to avoid falls and cross the street at least 10 feet (or 10 giant steps) in front of the bus. 
Tell your child not to bend down in front of the bus to tie shoes or pick up objects, as the driver may not see him before starting to move.

* Be sure that your child knows his or her home phone number and address, your work number, the number of another trusted adult, and how to call 911 for emergencies.

Saint Paul Public School Transition to Independence Program

We are pleased to have Peggy Sue, as our Transition to Independence job coach for students with developmental disabilities. Our student workers this year are: Timothy, Crystal and Tong. Please greet them when you see them busy around our building. I am happy that Highland Catholic School has been a job site for over ten years. Students learn valuable job skills that help them find employment in the larger community.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together

The following HCS students' artwork was selected for judging at this year's State Fair. We were pleased to have such lovely work to submit. Look for these pieces in our school hallways.

  • Emily Kinne Grade 5 Watercolor Birch Trees
  • Elizabeth Heuer Grade 6 Drawing Pastel Landscape
  • Rosie Pitera Grade 6 Drawing Pastel Landscape
  • George Brenzel Grade 6 Drawing Pastel Landscape Honorable Mention
  • Georgia Nelson Grade 5 Painting watercolor with black marker "Discovery Painting"
  • Erin Roberge Grade 5 "Painting watercolor with black marker "Discovery Painting"
  • Zach Perkl Grade 3 Painting - tempera 1st Place Line and Color study
  • Jack Rowe Grade 3 Painting tempera Mattise inspired patterned portrait
  • Lucia Frias-Wackman Grade 3 Painting tempera Mattise inspired patterned portrait
  • Abby Becker Grade 4 Cut paper burger 3rd Place
  • Louie Tighe Grade 1 American Gothic
  • Bridget Tierney Grade 1 American Gothic 2nd Place
  • Sarah Cunniff Grade 2 Snowy Hills 3rd Place
  • Also, congratulations to Sophie Olund, Grade 7, who won two ribbons at the State Fair for a clay-bead bracelet and stuffed dog she created.

Mail Bag Treasure

I opened a BIG check in the mail. This week, we received our Target take charge of education check for $1,492.59 (Made me think of Columbus.) Thanks to all of you for your support. Here is how it works: When parents, teachers and other school supporters use their REDcards, Target donates up to 1% of their purchases to their designated eligible K-12 school. To participate, all they need is a REDcard and to enroll in the program at Target.com/tcoe or by calling 1.800.316.6142

Calling all Artists for our Directory Contest!

We do have some clever entries for our School Directory Cover Contest. Remember our theme this year is, "With My Own Two Hands." Please encourage your young artists to create a cover around this theme and submit it to the office before Sept. 20th. It is helpful if the drawing is done in thin black marker. Though forms went out this summer, you can pick up a new form in the office.

Birthday Treats Revisited

Everyone loves their birthday! Birthdays are special at HCS. Students are invited to be out-of-uniform to celebrate their big day. Traditionally, students have brought a birthday treat to share with their classmates. I would strongly encourage you review this practice at your home. It is not necessary to break the bank and spend +$40 on gigantic iced cupcakes in order to recognize the day. A better choice might be a healthy treat, something small, or perhaps even a new book for the classroom library! Please do not let your child assail you with cries of, "That's what everyone brings." We love birthdays and certainly enjoy a spot of fun, but it is time to tame the birthday treat monster. Thanks for your help with this.

Got Milk?

Milk is available for students for a flat rate of $20/year. Please send payment to school in a marked envelope. It is on the honor system, so we appreciate your help with this.

Speaker on Dsylexia

Highland Catholic School and Learn to Learn are sponsoring an evening with national dyslexia expert,

Susan Barton. Susan will be speaking in the LCCC Community room on Sept. 21st from 6-9 p.m. Advance registration to this free presentation is necessary. You can register online at www.Conlin.EventBrite.com or by calling Jane Conlin at 651.699.5668. Susan will speak on the unique warning signs of dyslexia, effective reading and spelling programs, and classroom accommodations. Please spread the word about this great opportunity to better understand this type of learner.

New Website

Our new Highland Catholic School website will be launched on Monday, Sept. 21st. The site address is www.highlandcatholic.org. Yep, that is the old address, but everything else is spanking new! You will love the teacher blogs, updated calendar and even this ol' Hilites will come into your homes electronically! A huge thank you to our designer, Sairey Gernes. The whole thing seems magical to me! I can't wait for you to log on and check it out!

For the Fridge:

Sept. 15th Opening Mass Noon at LCCC
Sept. 21st Susan Barton, Dyslexia Speaker, 6-9 p.m. (Pre-registration required)
Sept. 23rd 8th Grade Family Mass Noon at LCCC, Meet the Teacher Night Grade K-4
Sept. 24th School Pictures, Meet the Teacher Night Grades 5-8

Fashion Note: Skater shoes must be tied at HCS. That's so you don't break your neck.