April 8, 2020 -
Anchored in His Love
Hope - St. Therese & St. Francis Xavier
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Dear St. Isidore School Families,
“The great gift of Easter is hope.” – Basil Hume
As the season of Lent draws to an end, we turn our thoughts to Easter and the hope and joy it represents. The resurrection of Christ is not about death, but
life
! Easter symbolizes a new beginning and a new chance for us all. I encourage you to embrace this chance, live life in God’s image, and spread faith,
HOPE
, and love.
Holy Thursday
St. Isidore School has many beloved traditions, one of which is the Living Stations of the Cross presented by the 3rd and 6th-grade students. As with many of our annual traditions, its cancellation leaves us disappointed. In an effort to ease our disappointment, a group of 8th-grade students, led by our Director of Religious Affairs, Mrs. Schmidt, have put together a Stations of the Cross slideshow for us to enjoy. I appreciate their creativity and commitment to commemorating Jesus’ pilgrimage to the cross.
click here
to view. The students who narrated this journey are listed on the last slide.
Easter Mass
I know the feeling that Easter Mass evokes is special and that each year we look forward to coming together in our Sunday best to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. This year is different, but equally special. God’s love is in our hearts and His presence can be felt anywhere, so enjoy the day! Father Moran recently invited parishioners to participate in the Cathedral of Light’s Holy Week liturgies that will be presided over by Bishop Barber
.
Click here
to view the livestream schedule.
Doing good feels good
In true St. Isidore fashion, many of our students, parents, and staff have found creative ways to spread joy and love throughout the community. As our Random Acts of Kindness section grows, so does my gratitude for your acts of selflessness. One that especially touched my heart was the surprise teacher drive-by organized by our 8th-grade students last Friday. In an effort to connect, the Class of 2020 and their families carpooled to Mrs. Torretta’s, Mrs. Carter’s, Mrs. Fernando’s and other teachers’ homes to offer a friendly wave, happy honk, and sweet smile. The teachers were extremely grateful for the kind gesture. Please make sure to scroll down to the RAOK section to view other wonderful displays of kindness.
Yesterday’s COVID-19 announcement
I know we were all left feeling disappointed after yesterday’s announcement to extend long-distance learning through to the end of the school year. Keeping our community safe and healthy remains our top priority, as does our dedication to educating your children the best we can. As mentioned yesterday, we have spent countless hours preparing for this possibility and are making improvements that will roll out after the break. To ensure that we are staffed adequately to address the learning needs of your students, we are also pursuing avenues to retain our instructional assistants for the remainder of the school year. We will continue to communicate with you. I empathize greatly with the 8th grade students and their families at this time. I fully understand that graduation is an important milestone that deserves to be celebrated. Please know the faculty and staff are working diligently to come up with fun and creative ways to to honor this accomplishment, we will make it a special as we can. If you have any ideas regarding graduation please email me directly at
mward@stisidore.org
Thank you for your continued support; we will get through this together.
Click here
to view yesterday’s SIS COVID-19 update, and
click here
to view the letter released by the Contra Costa County Office of Education regarding this decision.
e-Learning After Break
Our teachers have done a wonderful job of getting our students up and going with our online learning platform. We know there were bumps in the road and there is always room for improvement. Therefore, I ask that you take a moment to complete the
SIS Distance Learning Parent/Guardian Survey
by Friday, April 10. This will assist us in making adjustments as we move forward with distance learning for the remainder of the school year. We have addressed some areas and are creating ways for the students to get more face time and direct instruction from our teachers. We look forward to your feedback and together finishing the year strong.
A well-deserved break
Easter break offers a much-needed opportunity to relax and center ourselves. The last few weeks have been tiring as we have worked to adapt to our new normal. I truly can’t imagine a better reason to reset than the celebration of Easter! On behalf of the SIS staff, I wish you and your family a blessed and
HOPE
-filled Easter. Enjoy the break!
God bless,
Maria Ward, Principal
PS. Online learning will resume on Monday, April 20.
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Please pray for all those who are suffering or in need of our thoughts and prayers, especially Will Pringle and Mrs. Koskowich's sister who are both ill. Please pray for the grandmother of the Chatman Family who is recovering from surgery. Please pray for the many effected by COVID-19 including the the cousin to the Jacobson Family-Daniel O'Toole. May God keep them in His tender, loving care.
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- Thursday, April 9 - Sunday, April 19 - Easter Break.
- Sunday, April 12 - Happy Easter!
- Monday, April 20 - Online learning resumes.
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Calling all interested and energetic families! Do you want to be more involved in the school? Do you have ideas on how to make our school even better? Here’s your chance!
We are in the process of accepting nominations for the 2020-2021 PTG Board
Vice President
, as well as shadow positions for President,
Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary for ‘20-‘21 and continue on for the ‘21-‘22 school year. Other fantastic opportunities available are Sip & Shop Chair and Auction Committees. Please contact
ptg@stisidore.org
if interested.
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Hello from the SIS Art Room
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I hope everyone is doing well and finding time to be creative at home. So many of you have impressed me with the artwork you have turned in over the past couple of weeks! I absolutely LOVE seeing what you create at home - it brightens my days! During this uncertain time, art-making can allow us to relax and escape a little bit. I find that when I create art the time passes so quickly and after I am done I feel calm and happy that I have done something productive with my time. So, in addition to the weekly art activities I have been posting, here are a few ideas and resources you can use to be creative while we are staying at home.
- Create art with your family! You can teach your family a new skill you have learned in art class and be the “Art Teacher.” Then, have a gallery walk like you are in a museum - observe and compliment each other’s work.
- Create art outside in your backyard! Spring is here, so what better time to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine?! Making art outside gives you a whole new perspective and space to work in. You can draw or paint your surroundings, draw chalk art on the ground, take pictures of nature, get a little messy with splatter paint, or even tie-dye to create some new colorful fashions!
- Create art out of recycled materials! Collect items that you would normally throw away like egg cartons, toilet paper rolls, cardboard boxes etc. and make a recycled sculpture! You never know what might be useful!
- Make an art gallery wall of your favorite artwork in your room or somewhere in your house.
- Make art for someone you can’t see right now. Although we have to practice social distancing, we can still brighten someone’s day from afar. Make artwork for your family members that don’t live with you or for your friends and send it to them in the mail! They will be so surprised and happy when they receive something you created.
Check out my YouTube Channel
where I have been posting video lessons. I will be adding more in the next few weeks too. I also have an Instagram for Art Class where I have been posting student work @missmooreart.
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Random acts of kindness are deliberate attempts to brighten another person's day by doing something thoughtful, nice, and caring. Go out and spread kindness, SIS! Please let the office know if you do or witness a RAOK.
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Sewing to keep others safe!
School parent and local seamstress, Donna Nocco has recently been sewing masks to donate to healthcare centers and families in our community. Thank you Donna for putting your time and talent to good use and thank you to the families that have donated material to Donna's cause. You are all wonderful!
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Saying thank you makes a difference!
The SIS Kindness Club was recently encouraged to write their mail courier a sweet message of thanks. Shown is the message that 6th grade student, Christina Gard left for her mail person. Great job spreading gratitude!
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You brightened our day!
A big thank you to all the students who sent sweet shout outs to our fabulous teachers. Your acts of love and kindness made us smile. Pictured is 5th grade student Anna Litvinenko saying hi to our wonderful Miss Joseph.
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Spread the word!
As you chat with family and friends over the Easter Break, don't forget to mention that SIS still has openings for the 20-21 school year. In an effort to adapt to our current situation, our admissions process can now be offered virtually. Thank you for your support; word of mouth continues to be our best marketing tool.
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Be a sponsor family!
The Newcomers committee is looking for sponsor families to help welcome new families to our school. Please email
newcomers@stisidore.org
if interested. Thank you for your support.
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You made virtual spirit week awesome!
Thank you for participating in the SIS Virtual Spirit Week. It was great to see your smiling faces. Have a wonderful Easter Break!
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Message from the Bookkeeper
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St. Isidore School Tuition Assistance Applications:
Tuition Assistance applications for students in Grades 1 through 8, for the 2020-21 school year are now available on the school website,
click here
. Please complete and return to the bookkeeper no later than
Monday April 20, 2020.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Melanie Fake at
mfake@stisidore.org
.
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ALL ABOARD the SIS Summer Faith Camp!
Don't miss the Rocky Railway 2020 where Jesus’ Power pulls us through!
Click here
for more information. Please note teen volunteer sign-ups will open after Easter.
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