St. Matthew Elementary Jaguar Journal
January 4, 2019
St. Matthew Elementary
Jaguar Journal
This week's to-do list:
- New Years resolution list
- Save the date for the Sock Hop on January 25th
- Check on your child's supplies - may need some replenishing now that we are approaching half way
This Week's To-Do List:
* Vote for St. Matt's in the UnityPoint "Imaging the Amazing" contest (see below)
* Send in box tops and Hy-Vee receipts
* Vote for St. Matt's in the UnityPoint "Imaging the Amazing" contest (see below)
* Send in box tops and Hy-Vee receipts
"Paws"itive Students
Camryn Charkowski
Kyra Kauder
Kate Deegan
Trinity Mueller
Griffin Brecht
Theresa Moses
Oliver Klipp
Important Upcoming Events
January 9 - 8:35 AM Mass (planned by K-2 staff)
January 11 - End of the 1st semester
January 14 - No School
January 16 - 8:35 AM Mass (Smith - 4th grade)
January 21 - No School; MLK Day
January 22 - Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten Roundup at 7 PM
January 23 - 8:35 AM Mass (Adams - 3rd grade)
January 24 - Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten Roundup at 7 PM (SNOW DATE)
January 25 - Sock Hop 5 to 7 PM
January 27 - Catholic Schools Week Kick-Off Mass 10:30 AM
January 27 - February 2 - Catholic Schools Week
January 30 - 8:35 AM Mass (Chute - 5th grade)
March 2, 2019 - Mardi Gras @ Elmcrest CC
Important STO Information
New this year:
A few documents are attached for more information on tuition assistance.
New this year:
- 2018 W-2's and 2018 tax returns are required for those who file taxes
- Deadline for round #1 is April 15, 2019
- There is an Iowa 529 question, but this will not be counted in the asset contribution calculation
- STO qualifying levels have been increased to 400% of the 2018-2019 poverty levels
A few documents are attached for more information on tuition assistance.
January Staff Member of the Month
Congratulations to Katie Driscoll for being the January staff member of the month. Katie has served in multiple capacities over the last few years and yet takes each new journey in stride and does an amazing job! Most recently, she brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm as we look to construction the Junior Kindergarten program. Katie is a valued member of the staff willing to go above and beyond in various professional learning opportunities as well as in offerings to meet the needs of her students. An honor well deserved.
Congratulations to Katie Driscoll for being the January staff member of the month. Katie has served in multiple capacities over the last few years and yet takes each new journey in stride and does an amazing job! Most recently, she brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm as we look to construction the Junior Kindergarten program. Katie is a valued member of the staff willing to go above and beyond in various professional learning opportunities as well as in offerings to meet the needs of her students. An honor well deserved.
Here are the January breakfast and lunch menus...
Sock Hop 2019
It's almost time for one of the most exciting St. Matthew School events of the year...our annual St. Matthew Sock Hop! Please save the date and plan to join us on Friday, January 25th from 5 to 7 PM. We will not be charging admission but do ask that each attendee bring at least one new pair of socks to donate to our sock drive. All pairs of socks will be donated to local shelters.
Additionally, we will be having a diaper drive during Catholic Schools Week in honor of Brian Stutzman. You may bring diapers to the sock hop or anytime throughout the week.
See the flyer below for all the details. We are asking families to RSVP so that we know how much food to provide.
It's almost time for one of the most exciting St. Matthew School events of the year...our annual St. Matthew Sock Hop! Please save the date and plan to join us on Friday, January 25th from 5 to 7 PM. We will not be charging admission but do ask that each attendee bring at least one new pair of socks to donate to our sock drive. All pairs of socks will be donated to local shelters.
Additionally, we will be having a diaper drive during Catholic Schools Week in honor of Brian Stutzman. You may bring diapers to the sock hop or anytime throughout the week.
See the flyer below for all the details. We are asking families to RSVP so that we know how much food to provide.
Thanks to awesome parent volunteers Jill Maybanks and Mary Harken for making our birthday bulletin board look so fun every month! It means so much to the students and our entire Jaguar family!
NAWIC Block Kids Building Contest
The annual Block Kids Building Contest will be held on Saturday, January 26th at Kirkwood Community College starting at 10 a.m. The contest, where students use LEGOs to build construction-related projects, is open to students in kindergarten through 6th grade and participation is free. See the form below for information on how to register.
The annual Block Kids Building Contest will be held on Saturday, January 26th at Kirkwood Community College starting at 10 a.m. The contest, where students use LEGOs to build construction-related projects, is open to students in kindergarten through 6th grade and participation is free. See the form below for information on how to register.
2nd Collection on the 2nd Weekend
Each month, St. Matthew Church holds a "2nd on the 2nd" collection to benefit a different charitable organization in our community. We appreciate the generosity of our St. Matthew Parish family in these efforts. The January 2nd on the 2nd collection (at masses on January 12 and 13) will support:
1.) St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House here in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids: "Our mission is to assist people in need of food, shelter, and help for a better tomorrow. Visit catholicworkerhouse.org to learn more about this outreach.
2.) Mary's Meals: "Mary's Meals provides one good meal, to some of the world's poorest children, every school day. Just $19.50 feeds a child for a whole year. For more information, check out marysmealsusa.org.
Each month, St. Matthew Church holds a "2nd on the 2nd" collection to benefit a different charitable organization in our community. We appreciate the generosity of our St. Matthew Parish family in these efforts. The January 2nd on the 2nd collection (at masses on January 12 and 13) will support:
1.) St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House here in Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids: "Our mission is to assist people in need of food, shelter, and help for a better tomorrow. Visit catholicworkerhouse.org to learn more about this outreach.
2.) Mary's Meals: "Mary's Meals provides one good meal, to some of the world's poorest children, every school day. Just $19.50 feeds a child for a whole year. For more information, check out marysmealsusa.org.
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day!
The Sisters of Mercy invite you to join them for prayer and a speaker on Monday, January 14th from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at 1125 Prairie Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids. The speaker is involved with Chains Interrupted an anti-trafficking nonprofit organization within this community and reaching beyond. The event is free and open to the public. Donations can be made to Chains Interrupted. For more info contact Sister Emily at 364-5196.
The Sisters of Mercy invite you to join them for prayer and a speaker on Monday, January 14th from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at 1125 Prairie Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids. The speaker is involved with Chains Interrupted an anti-trafficking nonprofit organization within this community and reaching beyond. The event is free and open to the public. Donations can be made to Chains Interrupted. For more info contact Sister Emily at 364-5196.
Archdiocesan Women's Conference
Start the New Year off right! Invite your friends and attend the Archdiocesan Women’s Conference, Beauty in Christ: “perfect” isn’t perfect on Saturday, January 26th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Doubletree in downtown Cedar Rapids. Discount rates apply only until January 7th. To register visit: https://archwomensconference.org/registration/
Start the New Year off right! Invite your friends and attend the Archdiocesan Women’s Conference, Beauty in Christ: “perfect” isn’t perfect on Saturday, January 26th from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at the Doubletree in downtown Cedar Rapids. Discount rates apply only until January 7th. To register visit: https://archwomensconference.org/registration/
23rd Annual Catholic Men's Conference
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Xavier Catholic High School, Cedar Rapids
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Digmann
Learn more here: https://www.catholicmenonline.com/
Saturday, March 16, 2019
Xavier Catholic High School, Cedar Rapids
Keynote Speaker: Anthony Digmann
Learn more here: https://www.catholicmenonline.com/
Dancing with the Saints!
Dancing with the Saints is back for its fourth season! Ten dancing "stars" from our Catholic school community are competing for your vote via an online donation. The couple with the highest total of vote donations between now and the Dancing with the Saints live event on January 19th will be crowned our "People's Choice" Champion! All proceeds from this event are supplementing the Xavier High School tuition assistance program and will be used to enhance XHS teacher/staff compensation. Vote today for your favorite stars at https://www.xaviersaints.org/dwts/. Thank you for your support!
Dancing with the Saints is back for its fourth season! Ten dancing "stars" from our Catholic school community are competing for your vote via an online donation. The couple with the highest total of vote donations between now and the Dancing with the Saints live event on January 19th will be crowned our "People's Choice" Champion! All proceeds from this event are supplementing the Xavier High School tuition assistance program and will be used to enhance XHS teacher/staff compensation. Vote today for your favorite stars at https://www.xaviersaints.org/dwts/. Thank you for your support!
Cheer Camp at Xavier
Future Saints Grades K-8, join the Xavier Cheerleaders for a cheer clinic on Monday, January 21st from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. The clinic will include work on cheers, chants, jumps and basic stunting. We will perform at halftime of the JV Girls Basketball game on January 25th. Cost is $40 and includes a clinic tee shirt. Registration deadline is 1/11/19. See attachment below for more information.
Future Saints Grades K-8, join the Xavier Cheerleaders for a cheer clinic on Monday, January 21st from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. The clinic will include work on cheers, chants, jumps and basic stunting. We will perform at halftime of the JV Girls Basketball game on January 25th. Cost is $40 and includes a clinic tee shirt. Registration deadline is 1/11/19. See attachment below for more information.
Message from the Principal
Welcome to 2019! We have so much to be thankful for and many wonderful happenings to look forward to. I always describe the month of January as the fast and the furious as there are many events happening throughout the month as we prepare for the upcoming school year and celebrate Catholics Schools Week! Please stay tuned to the various announcements and emails regarding the details of these events!
Essentials Team Highlight
Welcome back Jaguar Families! I am so excited to start this new year! 3rd and 4th graders have just started their recorder unit. Each student will have the ability to earn up to nine belts as they demonstrate their recorder prowess. Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd are all working on composing two pitch melodies and singing them to their classmates. 5th grade is beginning their bucket drumming unit. All of the students are working on using their music literacy skills to perform together. It is an exciting time in the music room.~Musically Yours, Mrs. Williams
Next Week's Birthdays
Tristan Rosteck--January 9th
Oliver Wood--January 10th
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Twitter - @StMattsJags
Facebook - @StMatthewCedarRapids
Twitter - @StMattsJags
Facebook - @StMatthewCedarRapids
