Dear Parents and Guardians,

What a great month we are having!  Everyone is all "saddled up" and hard at work.  This morning we had our first PRIDE assembly, led by a wonderful team of 5th graders.  Students shared all sorts of writing and accomplishments; first grade farm riddles, then and now pictures by second graders, summer vacation stories from our third grade, and even a 4th grade recorder piece!  Parents are always welcome to join us for these assemblies.  You will find them listed on our school calendar on the website, www.highlandcatholic.org  Thanks to our 5th graders who write and lead these assemblies throughout the school year.

Pictured is first grader, Jesse, enjoying a ride on the new reading saddle in the HCS Library.  Librarian Helen Stassen and Jesse are both lucky enough to get to ride "real" horses!  Jesse enjoys riding at his grandparent's home.  What fun!

Special thanks to Ken Boyd for constructing the perfect wooden horse for this new reading station.  Giddy-up!

Jane Schmidt, Principal

HCS Loves Math!

Highland Catholic will be sponsoring three math teams this year.  Junior High Math League is gearing up for seventh and eighth grade students.  Students compete in a series of five math meets with area schools during the months of October through January.  Then, a group of these students continue on to the Math Counts competition.  This group will meet for the first time on Thursday, September 24 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.  We are so fortunate to have Mr. Bernie Sheehan back at the helm as coach for the third year with this program!

Fifth and sixth grade students have the opportunity to compete in the Minnesota Math Masters program.  Students meet weekly to practice their math skills.  Fifth grade competes on Friday morning, April 30, 2010.  Sixth grade will compete on Friday morning, March 12, 2010.  Our philosophy at HiC for Math Masters is that any student who wants to be part of the team is welcome.  They just need to have a commitment to do the work--both at the meetings and at home--and to have regular attendance.  We will form teams of five for the competition based on a practice test.  We will form as many teams of five as we can in order to accommodate those who are interested.  Our goal is to give the students a broad experience with math.  (Many schools only take their top five students for their team.)  

If your child is interested in participating in one of these programs and/or you are interested in being a parent coach, please contact Carol Broadnax at c.broadnax@highlandcatholic.org or at 651-690-2477.  (Important:  The sixth grade competition is on a Friday that students are not in school due to conferences so check your schedule before signing up.)  We need to register soon to insure a spot for our teams.

Time to Get Crafty

Congratulations to parent, Mary Link on the publication of her new book, 100+ No-sew Fabric Crafts for Kids by C and T publishing.  It is a beautiful craft book with dozens of great projects.  Mary has graciously donated a copy to our school library.  I am endorsing it as a wonderful Christmas present!

Instructions to HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF H1N1 INFLUENZA

in Church, from the office of the Archbishop.

Influenza viruses are spread through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids. This contact occurs through inhalation or by touching a surface contaminated with the virus. The following eight practices will help prevent the spread of illness at Mass. While these practices are strictly voluntary, in the interest of Christian charity, all persons are strongly urged to follow them.

1. If you suspect you are sick, stay at home and do not attend Mass until you feel healthy. Missing Mass due to illness is not sinful; it is prudent and shows a respect for your brothers and sisters. Stay at home, watch Mass on television or the Internet, pray devotional prayers such as the rosary or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, make a spiritual Communion, etc.

2. During Mass, at the Sign of Peace, you may choose to simply say "Peace be with you," without offering your hand.

3. During Communion, you may elect to receive the Blessed Sacrament in the consecrated host and not receive the Precious Blood from the chalice.

4. Ministers of Holy Communion should wash their hands with soap and water or sanitize their hands with an alcohol based sanitizer prior to distributing Communion. The use of hand sanitizers, even during Mass, is acceptable for all ministers of Holy Communion, including priests and deacons.

5. Reception of the Blessed Sacrament in the hand is the best way to reduce the possibility of flu virus transmission.

6. Following the celebration of each Mass, after the vessels have been properly purified, the sacristans should wash the vessels with hot, soapy water, then towel dry them, and put them away.

7. While scientific evidence is inconclusive at this point, some health professionals  recommend taking precautions when using holy water. Water from the fonts should not be ingested, nor should it enter the body via the eyes or nose.

8. Practice good hygiene: sneeze or cough into a tissue or upper sleeve, not your hands; wash hands frequently with soap and water and scrub for at least 30 seconds; avoid the transmittal of mucus or other bodily fluids; refrain from shaking hands; refrain from sharing a common cup; and above all, if you feel sick, do not come to places where you might infect others.

Website Action!

Please visit our updated website, www.highlandcatholic.org   We are working hard to reduce our paper consumption.  So hopefully you can simply bookmark our site for all the lastest info.  Don't miss the Teacher Blogs under Current Parent.  There is so much going on in this place!  Suggestion:  if you have bookmarked "Lunchworks" through the old site, please re-bookmark through the new site.

Playground Help and Reminders

We are grateful for the parent volunteers who are spending time with students at recess.  Please remember to check in at the office and pick up a bright green vest.  That will make you visible to children and will reassure our playground supervisors that you are not a stranger lurking around in the park.  Thanks for lending a hand and extra eyeballs, too!

Reminder Parents/Guardians can never, ever pick up children during recess.  Students must be signed out at the office each and every time.  Please don't add to my grey hair.

We "VANT" your Blood!

Lumen Christi Church Blood Drive is on Wednesday, October 14 from 11:00am - 4:00pm.
To make an appointment, contact Mary Kay at 651-690-3130 or at mkbrinkmeyer@aol.com
 Please remember: to bring ID, eat before donating, and be free of cold and flu symptoms for 3 days.  Thanks in advance.  If you have never donated before, trust me, it is a piece of cake.  Interesting fact:  If you have had chemotherapy you cannot donate blood for five years.  This was disappointing news for me.

Lumen Christi Junior Choir

Kids in grades 4-8 who would like to sing in the new Junior Choir are invited to sign up after the 4:30, 9:00, and 10:45 Masses on Oct 24/25 and Oct 31/Nov 1. Take a peek at some of the music we'll be singing, receive a copy of the schedule for the year, and find answers to any questions you may have.

Just look for the sign-up table.

We will sing at 4 masses this year: December 20 (Advent), December 24 (Christmas Eve Family Mass), March 20 (Lent) and May 2 (Easter Season).

Rehearsals for the December masses will be from 9:00 - 10:00am on the following Saturdays: November 7, 14, 28, and December 5, 12 and 19.

Questions? Feel free to call me at 651-695-9617.   -Lisa Theisen, Junior Choir Director

Check this Out!

Three corner flashcards for addition/subtraction and multiplication/division are now available in our Hornet's Nest School Store for $8.50/pack.  You can view these cards at www.trendenterprises.com.  Each card has three problems.  To start cover a corner with your hand. Multiply when colors are the same. Divide when colors are different.  The answer is under your hand.  This is a great way to learn basic facts.  Perfect to keep in the car.

Marathon Reminder

We are hoping for 100% participation in our Marathon fundraiser!  Just a reminder, each $20 in pledges is worth one Jeans' Pass.  Don't miss out on this opportunity to help your school and earn a few out-of-uniform days.