St. Matthew Elementary Jaguar Journal
September 25, 2020
St. Matthew Elementary
Jaguar Journal
This week's to-do list:
- Get your SCRIP orders in for next week; DUE BY 10AM on Monday
- UPDATE to our Return to Learn Plan; neck gators are now allowed. After some research, we feel that this is an appropriate option to keep students safe and comfortable.
PAWSITIVE STUDENTS
Each week we like to recognize students who go above and beyond to show positive interactions while at St. Matthew School. Here are this week's PAWSITIVE students...keep up the great work!
--Mason Chadima
--Landon Freeman
--Aaron Thiel
--Emerson Steffan
--Michael Harken
--Madeline Halverson
--Charlie Eichhorn
--Keelan McEnany
--Kaylee Wood
--Nash Mealhow
--Luke Riesenberg
--Sam Gilliland
--Madyson Livingston
--Clara Cunningham
--Mason Dietz
--Hazel Wood
--Meyer Conlon
Welcome to Whitney Bacon - NEW 5th Grade Teacher
I have some exciting news to share but I am not blind to the fact that this news creates change, which can also bring about a different set of emotions.
We have hired another fifth grade teacher; Whitney Bacon comes to us as a veteran teacher who was taking some time off to work on her master's. After speaking to us about this position, she is very excited to return to the classroom and we are very excited about her ability to bring some strong expertise to us in the areas of instructional design and literacy. Whitney is a graduate of Davenport Assumption and her mom actually graduated from Regis, what a small world!
We have hired another fifth grade teacher; Whitney Bacon comes to us as a veteran teacher who was taking some time off to work on her master's. After speaking to us about this position, she is very excited to return to the classroom and we are very excited about her ability to bring some strong expertise to us in the areas of instructional design and literacy. Whitney is a graduate of Davenport Assumption and her mom actually graduated from Regis, what a small world!
Welcome to Whitney, we are excited for her to join us as our newest Jaguar!
School masses have resumed with a few changes this year, please read below:
- Students in 1st-5th will go every other week
- Kindergarten will go once a month
- Students will still plan masses
- The calendar for who is attending mass and which class is planning can be found on our website's calendar, as well as in the app calendar
- We are asking that no outside guests attend mass, rather they watch online
- Each mass is live streamed to the St. Matthew Facebook page (page name is St. Matthew Catholic Parish & School, Cedar Rapids, IA.)
Lunch Program Update
Dear St. Matthew Families,
The USDA approved FREE breakfast and lunch for all students through 12/31/2020 or until funding is depleted. Your students enrolled at St. Matthew Elementary will not be charged for any regular school meals starting Monday, September 21st, 2020.
How does this affect your student's school lunch status?
If our student is in full pay or reduced lunch status, they will be temporarily moved to FREE status. No meal changes will be made to the students account through 12/31/2020 or until the school is notified by the USDA and State Authorities that the funding is depleted. No one really knows when this funding may run out, so like everything related to COVID, it will be a fluid process and we will notify families as soon as possible of any changes. At that point the student's account will return to their original lunch status and will be charged accordingly. All money placed in the meal account will carry over until regular meal prices resume. Please add funds to the account to cover milk for home lunch students and seconds as those fees will still be charged.
How does this affect applying for free and reduced lunches?
We highly encourage parents/guardians to complete the Iowa Eligibility Meal Application to apply for free and reduced status, so when we return to charging you will still receive appropriate meal benefits. You may contact Kember Nelson, Food Service Director, or request an application be sent home with your student.
What changes will my student notice?
There are a few changes that your student may notice, these are:
- Students will now receive ALL menu options, rather than having the option to decline an item
- The menu is adjusted to only show 1 fruit and vegetable since the option to decline will not be used; new menu is attached and updated on the website and app
- There are no changes to the breakfast menu
If you have any questions, please contact Kember Nelson at knelson@stmatthewcr.org or by calling 319-362-3021.
Thank you,
Kember Nelson and Amy Conlon
The SCRIP Program Returns
Step #1 - Register to Join SCRIP
Please make sure you complete the following registration steps prior to next Tuesday:
- Go to: ShopWithScrip.com or click the link below
- Click on Join A Program
- Enter Enrollment Code: 6DA5ACAD63825
- Create your own personal username and password
- Enter your account information, email address and create security questions
- Click Register
- Register your phone
- Sign-up for online payments - click Sign Up Now
- You have 2 options: Instantly Link Bank Account OR Manually Add Bank Account - you choose which works best for you
- Create a PIN - you will use this at checkout
You are now able to shop away! This is a great way to support our school as well as save on your tuition while doing your every day regular shopping. Scrip gift cards spend just like regular gift cards at local, national, and online retailers.
October Lunch Help
The St. Matthew Cafeteria needs your help again this school year with monitoring students during lunch. Duties will include helping students during lunch service and cleaning and disinfecting tables between services. Volunteers will report to the office to sign in and have their temperature taken. A mask must be worn.
(2 volunteers per shift)
11:00am - 11:45am -- Jr.K & K
11:35am - 12:20pm -- 1st and 2nd
12:10pm - 12:55pm -- 3rd, 4th, 5th
Catholic Mutual Group training must be completed. Find the information here: https://cmgconnect.org/
(2 volunteers per shift)
11:00am - 11:45am -- Jr.K & K
11:35am - 12:20pm -- 1st and 2nd
12:10pm - 12:55pm -- 3rd, 4th, 5th
Catholic Mutual Group training must be completed. Find the information here: https://cmgconnect.org/
Weren't able to catch our Parent Association meeting?
See the minutes to get caught up. If you'd like to review the budget, please reach out to PA president Laura Gavin at passociation@stmatthewcr.org.
Please note: We are still looking for a volunteer to coordinate fundraisers such as St. Matthew Night at Zio Johno's or Panera, as examples.
Question or comments? Please email passociation@stmatthewcr.org
Please note: We are still looking for a volunteer to coordinate fundraisers such as St. Matthew Night at Zio Johno's or Panera, as examples.
Question or comments? Please email passociation@stmatthewcr.org
Upcoming Birthdays
No birthdays to celebrate in the
coming week.
Make sure to follow us on social media:
Twitter - @StMattsJags
Facebook - @StMatthewCedarRapids
App - Android or Google Play Store
