St. Matthew Elementary Jaguar Journal

December 6, 2019

St. Matthew Elementary
Jaguar Journal

This week's to-do list:

2 Mondays left to order SCRIP - orders due on 12/9 and 12/16 at 10AM and will be returned to you on 12/12 and 12/19 respectively
Students should wear their Rainbow Team t-shirts with dress code bottoms this coming Wednesday
Reminder that we have an Early Dismissal on Friday, December 20th - dismissal at 12:05PM
Christmas Break is from December 21st through January 1st
Classes resume on Thursday, January 2nd

"Paws"itive Students

Landon Freeman Oliver Wood

Maddie Maxwell Sophia Link

Charlotte Link Hugo Ramirez

Mackenzie Richard Nash Mealhow

Maggie Lyon Gavin Ireland

Cael Stutzman Nicholas Larson

Kiley Kauder Jackson Owens

Kamryn Waddell Sara Oehler

Norah Richmond Kaylee Wood

Sawyer Pompei Amelia Walsh

Seraphin Thomas Rylee Fitzgerald

Quinn Snyder Wehtam Steel

Raeann Negro Giana D'Amico

Briella Kittrel Nolan Foss

Jaxon McComb Clayton Barrett

Mrs. Moser Class Ruth Williams

Emerson Steffen Preston Duehr

Cooper Takes Henry Lammers

Important Upcoming Events

Wed, Dec 11 - 8:35AM Mass - 5th Grade (Wareham)

Wed, Dec 18 - 8:35AM Mass - 4th Grade (Smith)

Fri, Dec 20 - Early Dismissal at 12:05PM

Mon, Dec 23 - Jan 1 - No School - Christmas Break

Thur, Jan 2 - School Resumes

A message from the Principal

Christmas Concert

Wow, what an amazing set of performances, those shows were awesome! Many thanks goes out to all who played a role in the productions, your assistance is very much appreciated. It is at events like this that I am reminded how blessed I am and how blessed we are as a community to not only celebrate the holiday but to share the joy of the season with one another. The students did a fantastic job and to think all of this came together in the last two months is even more amazing.

I hope you enjoyed the shows and thanks again for your attendance! We are truly blessed with the most amazing parents and supporting family members!

Student Tuition Organization (STO)

I have been putting a note about the STO program for the last couple of weeks but wanted to share some insight to help you understand the magnitude of this program. For this school year, 2019-2020, the STO program has helped 50 students across 43 families for a total of over $106,000 to help make St. Matthew affordable. This is an amazing benefit to our community, but this program needs your help.

Please consider making a donation to this cause by visiting the website below. One easy click provides you the opportunity to make a donation that benefits students at St. Matthew, while also providing a tax incentive to you as well. Your support of this organization helps so many of our families. Please join me and give today, there is no amount too large or too small. Please prayerfully consider, the deadline to take advantage of this opportunity is December 31, 2019.

Donate HERE

Looking for an opportunity to work in the St. Matthew kitchen?

We have an immediate opening for a kitchen staff member or co-director. The hours for this position are approximately 715AM-115PM, Monday through Friday. Responsibilities for a food services staff member include the preparation and serving of meals for breakfast, lunch and snack for school age and early childhood center students. Individuals interested in the co-director position would also be responsible for the planning of meals and the ordering of ingredients. Interested individuals, please submit letter of interest and resume to Amy Conlon at aconlon@stmatthewcr.org.

SCRIP News

During the month of December, for each family who makes a SCRIP purchase, their name will be placed on a paper ornament. These ornaments will decorate our Christmas tree, located on the wall of the main entrance. Our goal is for 60 families to participate in SCRIP this month.

We already have 11 families who have made a purchase in the last 3 days; that over 15% of the way! We can do this!

If we reach this goal, there will be a school-wide treat provided on Friday, January 3rd.

Shop Here!

Enrollment Code: 6DA5ACAD63825

Volunteer Here

We are going to begin selling physical SCRIP gift cards on Friday and Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, but we need volunteers to assist with this process! You can sign up below for the date and time that works best for your schedule. Please consider helping out this great new initiative that helps make St. Matthew affordable! In order for us to offer this opportunity, we NEED YOU, many hands make light work!

Families in Need

In the spirit of giving, we would like to continue our tradition of helping those in our community with some Christmas gifts. We ask for a $2 donation for each family as a way to provide a little Christmas to fellow Jaguars. Money can be delivered to the main office.

St. Matthew Reverse Advent Activity

Please provide as you can; we do NOT expect families to give every day!

Please see the attached documents regarding the St. Matthew advent activity that we will be participating in as a school this year. You will find a document that outlines the calendar and how we are being called to serve others, in our case how we are able to help the Metro Catholic Outreach center. Additionally, a prayer for each day of Advent is also included; we will be using these at school but also encourage you to use them at home as well. A copy of each of these documents went home in students take home folders today.

Reverse Advent Calendar 2019

Advent Readings 2019

SAVE THE DATE - SUN, JAN 12th

Please join us the for the 1st annual "Jump into Matt's" event that will be hosted at St. Matthew Elementary. This opportunity is the perfect way to visit the various components of the St. Matthew community to learn about the amazing things happening, while also being able to see ways in which you can help. There will be activities for the kids while adults visit the places that make our community unique.

Thank you so much for all the donations to the Kiwanis Book Drive! We collected so many books and are excited to be able to share those with children in need.

Giving Tree Luncheon

There is a luncheon for the families whose names were on the Giving Tree at church. The luncheon is on Sunday, December 15 and they are in need of volunteers for various duties. If you can help it would be very much appreciated! :) The link below will take you to the sign up page. Also, the tree still has around 20 to 30 ornaments. If you are interested in buying a gift for a child or for a family, please grab an ornament off the tree!

Sign up here to help

Xavier Basketball Game - Alzheimer's Awareness Night 12/13 @ Linn-Mar

On Tuesday December 13 Xavier will be playing a basketball double header at Linn Mar: Girls at 6:00PM/Boys at 7:30PM. This is designated as an Alzheimer's awareness and fundraising event. Fans are encouraged to wear purple. There is currently a web store open for the purchase of t-shirts at a cost is $12. The web store is open until November 20. The link to the web store is below. When checking out, in the address section indicate YOUR SCHOOL NAME. On the following page, select Xavier High School as the delivery location. Shirts will be brought to the school for pickup and then we can arrange to have all shirts arrive at St. Matthew for distribution.

T-Shirt Web Store

Tired of Cutting Box Tops

1. Simply download the app

2. Select St. Matthew School

3. Scan your receipt within 2 weeks of purchase
The school will automatically get a check twice a year!

Download the Box Tops App

St. Matthew Parish News

We are now using Flocknote to sign up for bringing food (salads and desserts) to funeral luncheons hosted here at St. Matthew Church. If you would like to be a volunteer in this capacity and receive notifications when we need contributions, please sign up here.

Funeral Luncheon Volunteers

Regis Middle School News

Families of Fifth Graders -- Save The Date to Explore Regis!

Please mark 9-11 am, Saturday, Jan. 25th on your calendars to come and Explore Regis at Regis Middle School, 735 Prairie Drive NE, Cedar Rapids. You and your fifth grader will have a chance to learn about all the opportunities Regis offers and will get to meet Regis students, parents, teachers and staff. More information will be coming soon, but you may contact Dianne Clarke at dclarke@regisroyals.org or

319-363-1968 if you have any questions.

So SAVE THE DATE -- January 25th to Explore Regis!

Xavier High School News

Angel of Hope Prayer Service: TONIGHT Dec. 6, 2019

The Angel of Hope Statue at Xavier is a beautiful symbol of hope for all grieving the loss of a child. This Advent season we are called to pray for everyone seeking hope and light through their days. Please join us on December 6th at 7 p.m. as we pray for hope, light, and grace this Advent season for all those in need. The prayer service will last approximately 30 minutes. This is an outdoor event so dress warm.

Message from the Principal

See message above!

--Mrs. Conlon

Essentials Team Highlight

PE: Class has been on hold due to the Christmas concert. The students have been very patient and great through the whole process. Next up we will be doing cup stacking until Christmas Break. Students are allowed to bring in their cups if they wish. We do have a lot of cups available so students do not have to worry if they do not have them. The link to purchase them if your students would like some is below. You can also find them on Amazon. Keep on moving and smiling!

Music: Congratulations on our Christmas Performances!! Everyone put on a great show!

Art: Had a great 3rd and 4th Art Club. 5th Grade art club is next week!

--from your Essentials teachers

Link to Cup Stacking

Next Week's Birthdays

December 10--Emma Feller

December 11--Mrs. Sitter

Make sure to follow us on social media:

Twitter - @StMattsJags

Facebook - @StMatthewCedarRapids