Dear St. Peter Community,
Welcome to October! In addition to the month of May, October is also dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Please consider praying a decade of the Rosary with your children this month. Many of you also pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which most of the students know already.
I want to share with you that as of today, we have one positive student case and one positive staff case of COVID 19. In both cases, they contracted the virus outside of the school. We also have students that have successfully quarantined at different times and returned to the school community. I am very grateful for all you are doing outside of the school day to prevent the infection and spread of the virus.
The bottles of wine yesterday and lunch last week from PTO were both a big hit with the staff. These kind gestures go a long way in supporting the staff and show how much you care about them. It's greatly appreciated.
A short story..... The "Joke of the Week" is used to promote a spirit of joy in the school. I believe the Lord wants us to be joyful as often as we can and sometimes even "this" happens..... I was in the second grade and one of the students wanted to tell me a joke. He said, "What position on a volleyball team is the holiest?" He told me, "The Server!" What a beautiful thought from the mouth of one of our younger disciples.😇
With gratitude,
Dr. John Freitag, Principal
If you missed any previous communications, you can find them here on our website... https://stpeterkirkwood.org/parents
Peace: It Begins with Me
Happy October and Our First Mary Feast of the Year!
Autumn is here! We’ve made it to October! What models of flexibility and perseverance our students and teachers continue to be!
This week we celebrated the Feast of St. Jerome, a Doctor of the Church and master translator! Our second and sixth graders were thrilled to be back at live Mass. Did you notice the Greeting? We begin each Mass with the Sign of the Cross, a reminder that at Mass we gather not in our own names but “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Our exchange with our presider, “The Lord be with you. And with your Spirit” reinforces our wish and the wish of our priest that we be filled with God’s grace as we begin each Mass. Msgr. Jack’s homily reminded us that once Jesus is in our hearts we’re more likely to be like Jesus to others.
Next week our sixth graders once again lead us but in the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Rosary. The eighth-graders will join their younger middle school friends at our October 7 Mass. What a blessing for us to have the rosary as a steadfast devotion and to have Mary as Our Mother! I know that for me praying the rosary has been my go-to for any struggles I’ve had in my life. In lieu of a school-wide Living Rosary this October, the students and their teachers will make their own pilgrimages to the statue of the Blessed Mother, a statue dedicated to Msgr. Jack’s mom Katie Costello. They’ll form their own small living rosaries. The sixth graders will write meditations that each class can use for their own pilgrimages.
And look for the FROGS! As we continue our year-long focus on the virtue of peace, we’ll encourage our teachers and their students to take advantage of this gorgeous weather to make a pilgrimage of peace around the St. Peter Parish campus to pray alongside the various holy statues, signs, and sculptures. A frog (fully rely on God) will accompany each station, and students will reflect on the virtue of peace while praying at each place. We’ll reflect on the Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila at the blessing box and pray for peace in our families at the Knights of Columbus Holy Family sculpture near the Plaza. So, watch for us. And just follow the FROGS! Many thanks to Aimee Mankus for her creativity!
This week’s Mass will emphasize the Penitential Act as part of the Introductory Rites. During the Penitential Act, we reflect on our need for God and God’s forgiveness. At school masses, we generally pray the Confiteor, the “I confess” prayer; or we ask for God’s mercy: “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.” Either way, when we humble ourselves before God, we express our openness to God’s grace and life within us. What a wonderful way to begin the Mass! No wonder we sing “Glory to God” on Sundays!
So, begin this October with peaceful hearts, knowing that whatever life has coming your way, know that God has your back. So does Mary. And Jesus. And the Holy Spirit.
Thanks for this reminder from Mrs. Jaeger:
News and Announcements
Calendar Notes - NO LATE START FRIDAYS
There will NOT be a Late Start First Friday this year. The teachers will have their meetings after school on First Friday rather than the 9:00 am late start that we used last year.
This has been changed on the monthly Calendar which can be found on the Portal.
Revised October Lunch Menu
Please see the revised October Lunch Menu attached.
Lifetouch Picture Day
Picture Day is Tuesday, October 6th. Students may dress out of uniform on that day, but please "dress up" for pictures. The flyers from Lifetouch have been sent home. Photos may be ordered online or with a check at the time of photography. All efforts will be made to keep the students in their cohorts and distanced as they go to the gym for their photography.
At Home Learners will be invited to have their photo taken from 8:30-9:30 and enter through the gym lobby.
Please note that there will not be a class composite option to purchase this year. Lifetouch will instead offer an additional 8x10 print in their lowest priced package.
To order online please use Picture Day ID: EVT9J27VW at mylifetouch.com
Nurse Notes
St. Peter Families, I am reposting guidance that we sent out a few weeks ago. Please read carefully and consider printing a copy to have available for reference:
- Any child staying home from school due to illness should IMMEDIATELY cause families to evaluate whether ALL children of the family should stay home
- If the unwell child has one minor symptom then we recommend the following:
- Contact the child's pediatrician to discuss this symptom, unless this minor symptom is attributed to a previously diagnosed condition (eg. runny nose in allergy season in a child with known allergies)
- This child should stay home from school until 24 hours after this minor symptom has resolved
- Siblings of patients with only one minor symptom do not necessarily have to stay home from school but parents can use their judgment if they would feel more comfortable keeping all siblings home
- If the unwell child has two or more low-risk symptoms or at least one high-risk symptom:
- Child must stay home
- Family is expected to contact their pediatrician to discuss this symptom picture
- Siblings are expected to stay home, as well, until the symptomatic child's diagnosis/disposition is clearer. If another cause is found that is not COVID (eg strep throat) - siblings can return. If possible COVID, then siblings are expected to stay home until the condition of the sick patient is clear (results of testing or alternative diagnosis is determined). If the case involves a confirmed COVID case, then siblings stay Home for 14 days past the last contact with the symptomatic child.
Parent Portal How-Tos:
Updating your own personal information:
1. Click on the down arrow next to your name.
2. Click on "Edit Demographics".
3. Click the word "Edit" in the white box on the right hand side of your screen.
4. If you've made any changes, please be sure to click "Save" in the white box on the right where you originally clicked the word "Edit".
Provide/Update demographic data/emergency contact information for each individual child:
1. Click the word "More" next to the picture of one of your children.
2. Hover over the word "School" under your child's picture and click the word "Demographics".
3. Click the white "Edit" button on the right side of your screen.
4. Fill in the information for each field.
5. Click "Save" at the top where you originally clicked "Edit".
6. When filling in information for emergency contacts, the school will ALWAYS contact the parents/guardians before contacting the people listed as emergency contacts.
Just a reminder that you will need to do this for each individual child you have.
Please contact Renée Chauvin (rchauvin@stpteach.com) should you have any questions regarding updating this information.
Blessing of the Pets
Feast of St. Francis will be on Sunday, October 4, 2020, 6:30 pm, on the Plaza
in front of church. Masks/Social Distancing Required. Weather permitting.
Please join us!!
PTO News
Last Call! – Please return your “Welcome to St. Peter” yard signs to the front office ASAP. We are organizing and storing them in anticipation of the new students for the 2021-2022 school year.
Trunk or Treat – Trunk or Treat is canceled this year, due to the gathering size limit currently imposed in St. Louis County.
Teacher Lunches - Thank you to all who have already generously donated! We currently have enough money to fund lunches for the teachers on the first Friday of October and November. It is our goal to be able to fund lunch on the first Friday of every other month of the school year (November-May).
If you would like to donate to provide catered lunch for the teachers, please click on the WeShare link below. We are looking for a one-time donation from each family for the year. If you are interested in helping to coordinate the lunches, please contact Christy Rintoul christy.rintoul@gmail.com or Lynn Hughes lynnhughes@mac.com.
Faculty Staff Prayer Board - Help us rally around our STP faculty and staff as they continue to care for and support our children through these trying times. Please find a day that works well for your family to lift them up in prayer and encouragement.
Room Parents -Please contact the Room Parent Coordinator Angie Smith if you have further questions or ideas (314)402-8345 or angie.smith38@yahoo.com).
