Joyfully Embracing Our Mission

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

Happy Labor! I hope that those of us who labor got some rest this weekend. It might be a good opportunity to have a conversation with your child(ren) regarding why we have the holiday in the first place. One of our Catholic social teaching tenets highlights the intrinsic right to labor and the dignity of work. Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement during the Great Depression sought to give hope to those who felt hopeless due to unfair working conditions. Cesar Chavez, Larry Itlong and Dolores Huerta also worked together to bring focus to the injustices suffered by farm and migrant workers. Today, we continue to work towards equity in the workplace and to give hope to those seeking dignified work. Let us pray for those who advocate for workers’ rights and to pray in thanksgiving for the gift of work.

Also this month, on the 5th Anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Sí, we focus on care for our common home. See what the bishops have to say about this, including our very own Bishop Cantú: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/environment/index.cfm

Hard to believe that we have already been at school for thirteen days! Students are getting the hang of the protocols and getting more comfortable with one another. There’s still a whole lot of joy in the classrooms and at recess, but as families who vacation together, we’ve been in the same space long enough to cause some challenges. Please continue to remind students to be mindful of health and safety protocols, particularly while playing on the play structures and the black top. We are seeing more skinned knees and elbows and ice packs after recess and lunch. I am grateful to our staff and our volunteers who are out there to keep students safe. A gentle reminder from you will help us out a great deal!

BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

Gather as a community at 6 P.M. and then join your Classroom Zoom to meet your child’s teacher. We are only holding one session this year, so that you can gather as a whole class community in one session following the general session. For those of you with more than one child, we beg your patience. The sessions will be recorded so that you can view all your children’s teachers’ presentations at another time. As always, please be welcome to reach out to connect with your teachers at another time.

However, we do ask that you refrain from engaging in an impromptu conference during car line at drop off and pick up. This is a critical time for supervision and distracting conversations that take longer than a short greeting takes “eyes” away from children. Thank you for understanding the importance of this time for our teachers who are supervising the car line.

SAVE THE DATE AND REMINDERS

• Back-to-School Night, Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 6 P.M. SEE ORIGINAL POST

• PICTURE DAY: Friday, Sept. 10 SEE ORIGINAL POST

• PTG Inaugural Golf Tournament, Monday, Sept. 20

• No School on Monday, Sept. 20

• OMG Tea St. Clare Community/PTG Fundraiser until Sept. 30

• Wednesdays are ALWAYS 12:30 dismissal days

• Drop off supervision begins at 7:45 and ends at 7:55. Gates are locked by 8 A.M.

READ THROUGH BELOW IF YOU ARE WONDERING ABOUT CALENDAR DATES!

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENCOUNTER

• Even if volunteer opportunities have been filled for yard duty, if you are able to join us, kindly email Ms. McKinnon (teresea.mckinnon@dsj.org or stclare-office@dsj.org). We could always use your help.

• Remember to log your hours in ParentSquare under PARTICIPATE>Volunteer Hours.

• You can check your progress towards completing your volunteer requirement of 30 hours per family (15 hours for single parent households).

• On Sunday, Sept. 26, we will need volunteers to set up and take down tables and chairs for the Bishop’s Circle Reception. Student/alumni servers may be needed. We will post volunteer opportunities on ParentSquare. Please reach out to stclare-office@dsj.org if you are interested.

• Students in grades 6-8 can earn service hours for this

• The St. Clare Silver Box Choir will be performing at this event

• Support the Golf Tournament through sponsorships or direct donations.

• Attend the PTG Meeting on Tuesday evening.

• Respond to Room Rep requests. Some classrooms have wish lists!

Wishing you a week full of discovery, with many opportunities to listen to stories of another, to connect on a human level in a positive and life-giving way. The two disciples on their way to Emmaus were given this gift to encounter Christ in a way that opened their eyes. May we be gifted the same.

With humble gratitude,

Mrs. Cecile Mantecon, Principal

Starting this school year, students in grades seven and eight have the opportunity to learn skills other than what is typically taught in a classroom environment. The junior high elective program is a program offered on Fridays (two courses per trimester) that allow students to select from courses like baking/cooking, photography and digital arts, coding, a survey of art history and social justice issues, among others. Middle school teachers and parent volunteers with expertise in the areas of study teach the 50-minute course. The elective program gives our students a chance to engage with other middle schoolers in a fun and enriching environment. Here’s baking without bowls and spatulas, measuring using food scales instead of measuring cups. Pictured are students from the Class of 2022 enjoying science and a sweet outcome with Mrs. Martinez!

No matter the state our world is in, our teachers make their classrooms a joyful place to learn.

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

Photo by Ed Carlo Garcia www.edcarlogarcia.com

Forming hearts and minds since 1856.

Email: office@stclareschool.org
Website: https://www.stclare.school
Location: 750 Washington Street, Santa Clara, CA, USA
Phone: 408 246-6797
Facebook: facebook.com/stclareschoolsantaclara