Take Home Tuesday (THT)

Welcome to the 2022-23 school year! We are excited to kick things off at Meet the Teacher Night on Tuesday, August 16, from 6-7:30 PM. Then one more day of summer before the first day of school on Thursday, August 18. This is a 12:00 PM dismissal day so we can ease nicely into the new year. If your child is in Completely Kids, there is CK programming from 12-6 PM on August 18.

This past week we welcomed the city's best and most dedicated staff back to school. We have been making goals, collaborating, and establishing expectations for ourselves and our students. The theme for this school year is: "Mightier than the waves of the sea is His love for you" (Psalm 93:4).

Here are some NEED TO KNOW items for this week:

• August 16 - Meet the Teacher Night @ 6-7:30 PM
• August 18 - 1st Day of School with Noon Dismissal
• August 19 - First Full Day of School
• August 20 - Dundee Days
• Please join us at 10 AM at Memorial Park (circle drive) to march in the parade and represent St. Cecilia. We have stickers and Smarties to pass out. Wear your favorite St. Cecilia gear and comfortable walking shoes. This is a great way to promote our amazing school in our community.

There is NO SCHOOL for students on October 7, 2022. This is a staff inservice day for all Catholic school teachers in Omaha. We also do not have school on October 3, 2022. This means it is a short week after Cathedralfest but usually much needed to recoup from a fun parish festival.

1. Meet the Teacher begins at 6:00 PM. The doors will be locked to allow teachers enough time to eat supper with their families at home before coming back to school. Please allow us this time and arrive no earlier than 6 PM.

2. Your child(ren) are encouraged to bring all of their school supplies this night. And with parents invited, they'll have lots of extra hands to help them carry the heavy stuff. Please take everything to your child's classroom.

3. The classrooms will be set up and ready for students! Each teacher will greet you in the classroom and help your child find their desk/table. All items can be dropped off in the classroom. Teachers have so much to show you so please walk around the classrooms and see the fruits of their labor. All curriculum and resources are on display for you to see.

4. There will be some administrative forms at your child's desk that are required for you to complete and turn in. We highly recommend you complete them on this night and give them to Miss Jen in the school office.

5. After you have dropped off the supplies, said hello to the teacher, and your child has finished socializing, we would like all parents to come to St. Bernadette Hall (basement of the school) for the Activity Fair. There are tables set up with all of the ways your family can get involved here at school and in the parish (Scouts, Dad's Club, Comedy & Cuisine, etc.)! So much to do and we would love for you to be a part of it. Remember those 15 hours of volunteer service that need to be completed!

6. Remember that school lunches are NOT free this year. So if your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch, you must complete this paperwork as soon as possible. Please see Jamie at the Activity Fair to receive the form. You can also make lunch payments to her so your child has full account to start the year.

7. Meet the Teacher Night ends at 7:30 PM. Please plan accordingly so our staff can leave at 7:30 PM. They have a full day of volunteering on Wednesday at the Heart Ministry Center so we need them well rested.

Last Spring, schools (public, private and parochial) were able to apply for EANS II funding from the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE). The funding allocations were based on the percentage of free/reduced lunches in the school. We were awarded around $232,000 to be used in the next two years. This grant has certain parameters on what the monies can be spent on (for example, we could not use it for new air conditioning in the gym or a large construction project).

The St. Cecilia school and parish administration believes in the importance of transparency when it comes to all items, but especially finances. Here is a running list of the items we have purchased or will purchase in the next two years with our EANS II grant. These purchases were prioritized due to their connection to our mission, school improvement goals, and how impactful they will be for our students' learning:

Reading Curriculum/Resources/Support:

• Fountas & Pinnell Classroom Collections for Kindergarten (F&P Collections for Grades 1-6 were purchased last year with EANS I funding).
• Fountas & Pinnell Classroom Interactive Read-Aloud Collections for PreK, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, and 5th Grade.
• Novel book sets for Grades 4-8. These will be on display at Meet the Teacher Night and are additions to the novel sets we purchased last year with EANS I funding.
• Winsor Learning: Sonday System 1 & Sonday System 2: Reading intervention curriculum for our special education and resource teachers to use with students.
• Learning Without Tears: Reading and writing curriculum for PreK and K
• 8th Grade Social Studies Textbook: United States History: Voices and Perspectives
• Vocabulary Curriculum: Wordly Wise for Grades 1-8
• In progress: social studies curriculum for Grades 1-8
• In progress: science curriculum for Grades K-8

Math Curriculum/Resources/Support:

• Sadlier series for Grades 1-8 that includes textbooks (purchased with EANS I funding) and student workbooks.
• Simple Solutions in Grades 3-5.
• Math manipulatives from both Sadlier and Lakeshore learning for Grades 1-6 have been added this year to provide hands-on learning.
• PrairieSTEM programming: Comprehensive programming for PreK-8th, STEAM day, STEAM Night, and Parent Internet Safety Session.

• SeeSaw for Grades PreK-3, GoGuardian for all student devices, Jamf technology for all student devices, STAR Math & Reading assessments, IXL programming, AutoLibrarian, online music software, and McGraw-Hill online subscription for Grades 4 & 5 science.
• 30 new compound microscopes for the science lab
• 30 new teacher Macbook laptops

1. Make sure to download the SportsEngine app for the fall soccer season! Your child's coach will be utilizing this app for communications regarding practices and games.

2. Mrs. Fangman will be starting a Cross Country program this fall. This program is open to Grades 6-8. Please see her at Meet the Teacher Night (Room 214) to learn more about this new opportunity for our kids. Thank you Mrs. Fangman for your dedication to our students and school!

3. Stasia Bakhit (Kenny's mom, Grade 2) is organizing basketball teams for Kindergarten - 2nd grade for this winter. The games will be played at the JCC but practices held at St. Cecilia. She is looking for more coaches for these grade levels. Please contact her at 402-212-7468 by August 22.