Take Home Tuesday

News from St. Cecilia Cathedral Grade School

Take Home Tuesday - January 4, 2022

Happy New Year Cardinals! I am hopeful that each of your families had a restful and relaxing Christmas break. With almost half of the year behind us, we are excited to start 2022 together. Believe it or not, January and February are two very busy months in Catholic schools. Please be sure to keep up to date by following our social media sites, reading all THT newsletters, and checking emails. Here are some items to note for this week:

1. Cold weather is here! Please see the graphic below from the National Weather Service with reminders on how to dress for these winter months. Remember our students go outside for recess if it feels like 10 degrees or above. Last year, one of the best parts of winter was that we went outside to play in snow whenever we could and the kids loved it (no surprise). Wear snow pants, boots, hats, gloves, winter coats (even middle school kids).

2. Kindergarten Roundup is Friday, February 4th. Did you know that word of mouth and positive parent recommendations are the BEST marketing for a Catholic school? No amount of billboard space, radio ads, or social media posts can match what you all say about your experience at St. Cecilia. So please share the great news about St. Cecilia with everyone you know: family, work colleagues, book club friends, select sport club moms/dads, etc. At the bottom of the newsletter is a pdf you can print and hang up, share on your personal social media, or send personally to a friend you know is looking for a new school home. PreK parents: you will need to register for session on this day as there is no school for PreK students on February 4th.

3. COVID-19 Guidelines: You may have seen/heard over the break that the CDC has modified the guidelines on quarantine and isolation. As science continues to discover more about the virus and transmission rates, modifications like these are why the Together Again Committee meets for discussion about what this looks like in our school community. At this time, we are continuing with our masking protocols and 7-10 day quarantine for any direct contact.

Yours in Christ,

Julia

Updates from our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Music/Math) Program

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6th Grade - Oculus

The middle school students have enjoyed the newest addition to our STEAM program - the Oculus. Not only does this provide a unique virtual reality experience (that Fr. Grewe and Mrs. Pick checked out too), our Catholic high schools have been using them to increase test scores and enhance athletic performance. St. Cecilia continues to prepare learners for the next step in their faith and academic journey.

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PreK - Engineering Design Process

Mrs. Hickey, Director of Technology and STEAM co-facilitator, works directly with our PreK learners in small groups each week. For our littlest learners, we focus on the engineering design process, to help shape the way they think about setting goals, planning, creating, and overcoming challenges. St. Cecilia continues to be the only Catholic elementary school with a fully implemented STEAM program for PreK-8th grade with two dedicated facilitators.

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Kindergarten - Dash Bots

Kindergarten students get to program the Dash Bots during STEAM class. Our youngest learners love using the Dash Bots to develop the fundamentals of coding, patterns, and building sequences. Our students love nurturing the engineering design process with fun and engaging activities.