Joyfully Embracing Our Mission

St. Clare School Family News | 23 January 2022

Journeying in Hope and Love: Building a Culture of Accompaniment

The Road to Emmaus

As they approached the village to which they were going,

he gave the impression that he was going on farther.

But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

So he went in to stay with them.

And it happened that, while he was with them at table,

he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.

With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,

but he vanished from their sight.

Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning [within us]

while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?”

Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way

and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

~ Luke 24:28-32, 35

Dear St. Clare School Families,

Happy Sunday! I’m sure many of your households were glued to the TV to watch the 49ers pull out a win, earning them a spot at the NFC championship game next weekend and getting them that much closer to the SuperBowl. Their performance on Saturday night is a shining example of teamwork, perseverance, and grit, qualities that get challenged every day in our pandemic life these days.

These examples provide us opportunities to have conversations with our children about not giving up so easily, about valuing the gifts of every member of the team (classmates, teachers, family members), and about having the strength of character to do the right thing: to apologize when we have been less than kind, to take responsibility for our actions, to recognize the need to repair relationships, and to see the face of Christ in every person.

When we practice these gifts of the heart, we learn to trust one another, to think of the other before ourselves, so that we may live the Greatest Commandment: to love God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

A CUP WITH THE PRINCIPAL: PLANNING FORWARD

RSVP via ParentSquare to join me at the next “A Cup with the Principal” on Thursday, January 27, starting at 6:30 P.M. We will share highlights of what we have accomplished as a community in the past year, as well as learn about next year’s Tuition commitment, a clarification of the requirements to qualify for Tuition Assistance and the Catholic discount.

On Friday, January 28, you will receive an electronic copy of the Rates and Fees Sheets along with the Tuition Agreement. Paper copies will be sent home with your youngest child (or only child). You will be asked to return the Tuition Agreement by Tuesday, February 1.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK | January 30-February 4

On Sunday, January 30, we will celebrate the start of Catholic Schools Week at the 10:30 A.M. Family Mass. Traditionally, we offer a Pancake Breakfast after masses on this day, followed by an Open House and School Tours. Because of the COVID case surges, we will postpone the Pancake Breakfast until we are able to gather safely. The Open House and Tours will also be scheduled at a later date yet to be determined.

Students who attend mass in FORMAL SCHOOL UNIFORM will receive a Free Dress Pass for Wednesday, February 9, from the Student Council at the conclusion of the mass.

In addition, the Student Council, under the direction of Mrs. Martinez, are planning meaningful activities and outreach for the week to celebrate how much we value the opportunity to attend Catholic schools. Stay tuned for more information to prepare for Catholic Schools Week 2022.

You are also invited to join the Diocese of San Jose's Catholic Schools Week Virtual Mass on January 31st at 9am, which will be at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph OR join the DSJ Facebook livestream here .

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

In our desire to be forward-facing, and be able to pivot to respond to the needs of our students and our community, we are fully immersed in a culture of continuous improvement. The schools in the Diocese of San Jose participate in the joint Western Catholic Education Association (WCEA) and ACS WASC accreditation process. Our stakeholders (including you!) are engaged in ongoing assessment of our programs by responding to surveys and through feedback loops at Parent Leadership Symposium and meetings with SAC and PTG subcommittees.

In the next couple of months, you will be invited to participate in discussions regarding key factors that measure our areas of strength and areas of growth. I thank you for your willingness to affirm what we know about our school and to inform our path forward.

As always, I am grateful for your continued partnership and commitment to the work of our team.

Peace and all good things,

Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time | 23 January 2022

Our goal is that 100% of our families participate!

No matter the amount that your family is able to contribute, your engagement in our efforts to raise funds to complete this project signifies your partnership and commitment. I thank you in advance to consider a donation as soon as possible!

Donations are tax deductible and eligible for matching. Please send a check in any amount to the School ℅ CleanAir4StClare or visit https://www.stclare.school/cleanair4stclare to make a donation.

2021-22 School Calendar

Below, you will find the Calendar Grid for the school year. Some find this difficult to navigate, so I’ve created the Calendar Highlights document which I hope will make it a bit easier for you to consume.

Some changes since the end of the school year: we added September 20th as a NO SCHOOL DAY and our School Year will end a day earlier. The original calendar had us attending 183 days of school, knowing that we had three days over the required 180 days. We are keeping the 181 days in the event we have to close for an emergency due to poor air quality.

Other options to view the calendar include a Google calendar synched to ParentSquare, or subscribing to the St. Clare School Public Calendar below:

Google Public Calendar

You are invited to subscribe to the St. Clare School *PUBLIC* Google Calendar which is also synched to ParentSquare.

PUBLIC URL TO ACCESS FROM A WEB BROWSER

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=drexelschools.org_u0vj6uj1r91qlk8hu9uk1t7qro%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles

PUBLIC ADDRESS IN iCAL TO ACCESS FROM OTHER APPS

https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/drexelschools.org_u0vj6uj1r91qlk8hu9uk1t7qro%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics