Home  
  About us  
  Academics  
  Admissions  
  Faculty & Staff  
  Athletics & Clubs  
  School Calendar  
  News & Events
  Teacher Pages
  Middle School
  Faith Formation  
  Parent Essentials
  Volunteer Opportunities  
  Carondelet Cares
  Support Carondelet
  Contact us  
  Links


Lower Campus K-2
2900 W. 44th. St.
Phone: 612.920.9075
Fax: 612.920.8504
Get Directions

Upper Campus 3-8
3210 W. 51st. St.
Phone: 612.927.8673
Fax: 612.927.7426
Get Directions



    Search our site:
News Notes     February 3, 2012

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:


Happy Catholic Schools’ Week, and congratulations on your decision to send your children to Carondelet Catholic School!  As someone who has worked in Catholic schools my entire adult life and sent my own children to Catholic schools, I appreciate the sacrifices parents make to provide their children with a well-rounded education that nourishes them spiritually, as well as academically, physically, and emotionally.  There was a wonderful spirit in the school this week as we celebrated CSW and the national theme, Catholic Schools:  Faith, Academics, Service. 

This being my first Catholic Schools’ Week at Carondelet, I’d like to share some highlights with you.  The CSW buttons the students were given all had a number on the back.  Throughout the week, numbers were drawn for prizes.  Mrs. Phillips, who teaches in our middle school, collected stuffed animals all year to award as prizes to the kids.  It was so much fun to see kids of all ages coming to claim their prize in the school office.  They were all thrilled to have won, and it was such good, innocent fun!

On Wednesday, the Lower Campus had a Bingo game organized by the teachers.  They reported to me afterward that they were very impressed with the way the kids rooted and cheered for each other.  They were truly happy for each schoolmate who got a BINGO. They showed great sportsmanship and camaraderie, and made it a lot of fun for everyone.  Again, good, old-fashioned fun!

The Jugs for Jabby fundraiser was definitely a highlight.  I heard so many stories of the ways students raised money to put in the jugs.  Several of our students went door-to-door asking for donations; others put on bake sales or hot cocoa stands; and many emptied their own piggy banks.  One second grade boy told me he had been saving for a Mario game, but instead decided to give all his savings to help Jack.  Besides monetary gifts, the kids have been fervent about praying for Jack and have written him cards and notes.  This whole project, started and led by 4 of our 6th graders, has brought out the best in our children and they have learned that they can make a difference. 



Finn, Ingrid, Spencer, Sam and I took the Jugs for Jabby money to the bank on Thursday afternoon. After the counting was over, we had $3849.63 and threw in another 50 cents to make it $3850.13.  The people at M&I bank on 50th and France could not have been more accommodating.  They allowed the kids behind the scenes to help with the sorting and counting of the money.  I’m sure we were a bit of a spectacle, wheeling in the giant jug of cash on one of our kitchen carts!  The kids showed great leadership in this effort—coming up with a plan, following through, and setting a good example by giving themselves.

We wrap up our celebratory week with Mass at the Church of Christ the King on Sunday at 9:30.  Even if you are not a parishioner at CTK, please join us as we pack their pews with Carondelet families and show our appreciation for their support.  Our students will serve as greeters, singers and lectors, and I hope to see you there!

Thank you for sharing your children with us — we had an excellent week!

February 25 Parents-A-Go-Go: click here to see the latest news and to reserve your tickets today. For more information or to get involved, click here.

Volunteers Needed:  Volunteers are need to tally orders for CCS's annual magazine drive. This is an important fundraiser for our school -- your help makes this happen. We need four volunteers on Friday, February 17 and on Friday, February 24. If you're available for about 2 hours on one of those dates, contact Holly Ziemer at suckowziemer@comcast.net or 952-303-3689.

Parents and Prospective Members of the DeLaSalle Class of 2016: Thank you to all of you for your interest in DeLaSalle.  We have already received many partial or complete applications, even though the final application deadline is set for Friday, February 10.

We are offering three opportunities for a make-up Entrance Exam -- on Saturday, January 28 or Saturday, February 4, each day from 9:00 a.m. to noon, or on Sunday, January 29 from noon to 3:00 p.m.  DeLaSalle provides all materials and there is no fee to take the Exam.  Please leave a message at this email address or at 612-676-7679 to register for one of the three make-up exams.

For more information, please contact Mike O'Keefe at...

     Mike O'Keefe
     Vice President
     Director of Admission
     DeLaSalle High School
     One DeLaSalle Drive
     Minneapolis, MN  55401
     612-676-7679 - office
     612-676-7699 - fax
     mike.okeefe@delasalle.com

DeLaSalle High School First Semester 2011-12 Honor Roll:  DeLaSalle High School is pleased to recognize the following Honor Roll students, all alumni of your school, for their academic success in the first semester of the 2011-12 school year.  These students are recognized for their scholastic accomplishment on either the High Honors Roll (semester grade point average of 3.8 or better) or Honor Roll (semester grade point average of 3.0 to 3.799), with all grades of C or higher.

DeLaSalle High School First Semester 2011-12
High Honor Roll (grade point average of 3.8 or better)
                  
 Ben Albert `13 Annie Borman `13
 Matthew Elfstrand `13
  Charlie Engel `15 Hana Fritz `15 Max Hart `15
  Grace Hellstrom `14  
 Grace Holbrook `13     
 Mira Koster `15
  Clare McCarthy `13 Lily Meyer `12 Emma Meyers `15
  Joe Moeller `15 Eric Peters `13 Sam Peters `15
  Alex Satre `15 Syd Satre `13 Marian Shaw `15
  Joe Vitt `13 Julianne Vitt `15 Elizabeth Zarnotti `13

DeLaSalle High School First Semester 2011-12
Honor Roll (grade point average of 3.0 to 3.799)
                  
 Armonia Balch `12
 Anna Beckstrom `13
 Eli Brimacomb `15
  Isabelle Cody `15 Patrick Engel `13 Ted Engelen `12
  James Foran `15 Peter Glanville `15 Olivia Gooley `13
  Mary Griep `15 Madeleine Hagar `12 Sophie Holbrook `15
  Anton Houle `15 Maddie LaQua `13 Max LaQua `12
  Madeline Longo `15   
 Max Mueller `15 Catie Orren `15
  Jane Perry `14 Madison Schmidt `15  
 Annette Shaw `13
  Margret Sittig `13 Olivia Smith `14 
 
Tri-Metro Conference Honors Best Musicians, Visual Artists:


DeLaSalle High School is pleased to recognize 35 of its music students and eight of its visual arts students, including alumni of your school, who were selected either to perform in the Tri-Metro Conference Honors band, choir or orchestra or display their pieces as Tri-Metro Conference Honors art students.  These students were recognized on Monday, January 30 at the Tri-Metro Fine Arts Festival. 
   
For the ninth consecutive year, more DeLaSalle students were selected for the Conference honors music program than any other school in the conference, 35 student musicians in all. Slightly over 40 percent of the entire DeLaSalle student body is involved in a music program at the school, and 30 percent are involved in a visual arts program. De was able to enter works by the maximum number of visual arts students (eight) allowed per school.
   
Tri-Metro Conference members are Blake, Breck, Brooklyn Center, Concordia Academy, DeLaSalle, Minnehaha Academy, Mounds Park Academy, Providence Academy, St. Agnes, St. Anthony Village, St. Croix Lutheran, St. Paul Academy, and Visitation. 
Tri-Metro Conference Honors Choir
     Eric Peters `13

            Eric also earned a solo in the public performance of the Honors Choir.
     Felix Tomlinson `12
Tri-Metro Conference Honors Band
     Ben Albert 13
Tri-Metro Conference Honors Visual Artists
     Grace Holbrook `13
AHA Girls' Basketball Clinic:  The Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is hosting a spring basketball clinic for girls in grades seven and eight.
  • Dates are April 16, 23, and 30 and May 7, 14, and 21 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. each day in the AHA gym. (6600 Nicollet Avenue South, Richfield)
  • The cost is $40 per player.
  • Girls will learn AHA’s offensive and defensive system, game skills, and drills.
  • For more information contact Coach Nathan McGuire at nmcguire@swc833.org.
  • Registration deadline is April 2.
  A flyer is attached.

News Notes     January 27, 2012

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

On Sunday we kick off our Catholic Schools’ Week celebration with Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle at 11:00.  Even if you are not a St. Thomas parishioner, please join us in packing the pews with Carondelet families.  The national theme for this year is Catholic Schools:  Faith, Academics, Service.  Throughout the week we will celebrate these three facets of a Carondelet education.  We will celebrate our faith with an all-school Mass on Friday at 1:15 and our closing Mass on Sunday, February 5 at Christ The King at 9:30.  Our students will serve as lectors, greeters, and singers at all 3 Masses.  We will also be praying together with a special intention for Jack Jablonski.  Students will celebrate academics with the writing of an essay on the benefits of a Carondelet  Catholic education.  We will celebrate service with our Waite house collection, the Jugs for Jabby fundraiser, and by making cards of appreciation for the parish staffs.   See the updated flyer and letter that is coming home today for more detailed information.  I hope to see you on Sunday at St. Thomas!


Report Cards for the 2nd quarter for all K-8 students are available online today on the Cornerstone website.  If you have any problems accessing the site, please contact Stan Blanda.

We have had great feedback on the Christmas program DVD.  If you did not order one and would still like a copy, they are available on-line from United Video Inc. at: www.unitedvideoinc.com.  Their phone number is: (952) 470-6333.


Go-Go posters are cropping up around the school!  Please save February 25 for a fun-filled celebration (and one of our 2 largest fundraisers).  The Go-Go began 9 years ago as a social event for parents.  It has since grown into a party, dance, and live and silent auction that is both community builder and fundraiser.  There is always something new and exciting happening with the Go-Go.  Go-Go veteran or Go-Go newbie, you don’t want to miss this year’s event!  Click here for more information.


The teachers are currently working on two curriculum projects.  The first is differentiating instruction to meet diverse learner needs.  They have partnered by grade level or subject matter to look one area of their curriculum or a unit of study that needs more options for kids who need support or a higher level of challenge.  Some of the groups are already implementing their work and some still have a work in progress.

The second project is aligning our curriculum with the Minnesota State Academic Standards (which you can view at the MDE website).  In the past the Archdiocese has recommended that we use the McREL standards.  Moving forward, the rigorous standards compiled by the MN Department of Education make more sense for us.  I am so appreciative of our faculty and their willingness to keep learning and growing professionally.


I have had some questions about next year’s calendar and we are still waiting to hear from Minneapolis, as our transportation is dependant on their calendar.  The district has a survey on their website, and they are looking for parent input on the fall start date, Christmas and spring breaks, and the end date.  You can share your thoughts at:  www.mpls.k12.mn.us.


All of us on the faculty and staff of CCS wish to thank you all for the generous Christmas gifts this year.  The Home and School Association raised money through the wrapping paper fundraiser, and a group of parents took up a collection as well.  The gifts were much appreciated, especially this time of year.  Thanks to all who took part in these efforts on our behalf.


I received this note from the family and friends of Paula Berg:

                
 

Dear Carondelet Students, Parents, and Staff,

 

Please accept our sincere appreciation for all that you did to make the Funeral Mass and luncheon for Paula Berg so very special. You helped us to celebrate Paula's life with a beautiful service. 

 

We were especially touched by the middle school students singing "On Eagles Wings" and their creation of the tootsie-pop flowers. The colorful paper flower bouquettes the younger students made were wonderful. The live floral arrangements sent from parents and students, and the school board, were all absolutely gorgeous.

 

The luncheon was a great opportunity for everyone to visit and share their memories of Paula. The food was fantastic and the efforts of the many people who worked hard to prepare, serve, and clean up the lunch were deeply appreciated.

 

We are sure that there are many people who were involved in important, but unseen ways, to all of you - thank you!

 

Many of you shared wonderful memories of Paula as a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend in the cards you shared with our family.  We cherish your notes and sentiments.  Paula's dear friend Nathan talks often of his many memories of Paula and the "special church" we went to after she passed away.  Nathan has said many times that he won't ever forget Paula and we know you won't either.  She lives on in our memories and yours.


We feel blessed to have been surrounded by your community during this very difficult time. Your care and support will be remembered always.

 

Warmest Regards,

The Finn and Berg Families


Jablonski Fundraiser:
  After 11:00 Mass at St. Thomas on Sunday, Carondelet families are invited to attend a fundraising event at Benilde-St. Margaret for the Jablonski family.  For more information click here.

Spring Sports Registration:  Softball and baseball registration has been extended through Monday, January 30. The registration form is attached here if you need another copy. Apparently many homerooms were missed when the forms were handed out last week.  Late registration will only be accepted if there is roster space available.  If you have any questions, please contact Josh Nutter.  Thanks.


Valentine Scrip:  The Scrip committee would like to remind you that Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to take advantage of the Scrip card program to earn money for our school.   Please take a look at the attached flyer and we thank you for considering this great option to show your support for Carondelet.  Our deadline for this next order is Friday, February 3 so please submit your orders online and either have checks in to the office or pay using PrestoPay by that date.  Cards will be distributed by the following week.
Thanks,
Jamie Turner & Erika Riley, Scrip Coordinators

Volunteers Needed:  Volunteers are need to tally orders for CCS's annual magazine drive. This is an important fundraiser for our school -- your help makes this happen. We need four volunteers on Friday, February 17 and on Friday, February 24. If you're available for about 2 hours on one of those dates, contact Holly Ziemer at suckowziemer@comcast.net or 952-303-3689.


Box Tops for Education: It is time to make some money for Carondelet and have a friendly classroom competition.  The classroom with the most Box Tops will win an extra recess or an Out of Uniform Day (classroom choice).  The deadline is February 17th.   So start gathering up your Box Tops for Education.  This is a simple way for Carondelet to earn cash for our school through the General Mills Box Tops for Education program. Last year, Carondelet Catholic School earned over $1,200 through the Box Tops program. Box Tops coupons can be found on hundreds of General Mills products and partnering brands, like Cheerios®, Betty Crocker®, Hefty®, Juicy Juice®, Ziploc®, Kleenex® and many more! This is a great way for grandparents, neighbors and friends to get involved. To see a full list of Box Top products click here: http://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?id=3878.


Night with the STARS:  Holy Angels girls' basketball is sponsoring a “Night with the STARS” on Friday, January 27, during their home game vs. Chaska.

  • The game begins at 7:30 p.m. at Holy Angels
  • All students eighth grade and younger are free with a paid adult
  • Middle school girls are invited into the locker at half time
  • Ice cream social after the game — meet the varsity players and coaches!
  • RSVP to Susan Luppke-Mendez at susanagustin@aol.com

A flyer is attached here.





News Notes     January 20, 2012

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:


Winter has arrived and with temperatures below zero we had to have an indoor recess day on Thursday.  The new boiler system at the Upper Campus has needed a few adjustments as it wasn’t quite keeping up with the drastically dropping temperatures.  Some of the classrooms were chilly this week, but Jim George has been working with the company to ensure we have moderate temps throughout the building.  Please remind your children to wear their warmest uniform pieces and to dress in layers.  We do go outside for recess most days, so boots, hats and mittens are needed as well.

Monday is a Parent Drive Day (no MPLS school buses will be available).  As you drop off and pick up your children, please remember not to park in the drop off area.  If you would like to park and come in to the building, please pull into a parking space.  Thanks for helping keep the kids safe and the traffic flow moving smoothly.

Our Catholic Schools’ Week celebration will kick off at the 11:00 Mass at St. Thomas on Sunday, January 29.  Even if you are not a St. Thomas parishioner, please join us at that Mass.  CCS students will be the lectors and greeters, and the children’s choir will be singing.  Details about the rest of the week will be coming home today. One exciting project will begin next week and run through Thursday of CSW.  It is a fundraiser for the Jablonski family initiated by a group of our 6th graders.  They are calling it Jugs for Jabby and are asking students to bring in their coins to collect in jugs in the classrooms between January 23 and February 2.  All money collected will go to the Jack Jablonski Fund.  Click here for more information.  I have been very impressed with the initiative of Spencer Sande, Finn Larson, Ingrid Lundberg, and Sam Vascellaro.  They dreamed this up, made posters and fliers and wrote a letter inviting other schools in the Archdiocese to hold their own Jugs for Jabby fundraiser for Catholic Schools’ Week.

As our math team’s season came to a close, medals were given to the top 10 of  about 90 students in the league.  Awards went to our 8th graders:  Nick Backes and Paul Heltemes,  Congratulations to them and to all the members of our math team on a great season!  A big thanks to Mrs. Wintz for putting in the extra time to make math league possible.  Some of our math team members will also be participating in Math Counts, a competition developed by the National Society of Professional Engineers in which students compete  individually and as a team.  This event takes place on February 10.  Go Saints!

On February 10 we will begin our Magazine Drive fundraiser.  This is a fairly easy way to raise money for the school simply by renewing any family magazines through Carondelet.  If you do have some magazine subscriptions, please consider renewing them with us next month.  In lieu of cash prizes for magazine sales, we have come up with a wholesome alternative—going to a Twins game in the spring.  Watch for more information on February 10. 

Just a reminder — if you have a kindergartener for next year and have not filled out an application as of yet, please do so soon.  We are saving spots for siblings, but do already have a couple children on a waiting list for the fall.  It is important that we have accurate numbers.  Thanks so much to those of you who have sent in your intent to register forms.  It will really help us as we plan and budget for next year.  If you haven’t had a chance to do this yet, please get them in as soon as possible.  As always, please call with questions or concerns.

It was so nice to have our 7th graders back with us this week.  It sounds like they had a wonderful trip to Ely!  Mr. Nutter is exploring the possibility of a Washington D.C. trip for our 8th grade class the week after graduation.  An informational meeting will be held on January 25th for 8th grade parents. 

"DOLLARS FOR DOUGH" NIGHT – Wednesday, January 25th!   On Wednesday, January 25th between the hours of 4:30 - 9:00pm, the Papa Johns in Edina will donate 20% of sales back to Carondelet if you mention Carondelet and your teacher’s name when you phone to place your order. This may be the easiest fund raiser all year; just call (612) 924-1902 and order pizza for dinner! This offer is good on take out or delivery as long as you mention "Carondelet Dollars for Dough" when you place your order. (Watch for coupons and specials in the BGEs.) YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE DINNER ON AN ALREADY BUSY NIGHT OF SPORTS AND FAITH FORMATION CLASSES! ORDER PIZZA FROM PAPA JOHNS INSTEAD! JUST CALL (612) 924-1902

VolunteerSpot – The new web-based sign-up for Pizza and Subway lunch volunteers is working great! We have filled all the slots for January. Thank you to all volunteers. There are still plenty of open slots in February and the coming months. Please click on this link below to sign-up.

Carondelet parents and their friends can dance the night away, or just tap their toes, as Phil Holm's Southside Big Band plays tunes the 1930's and 1940's, Saturday, February 11, in the gymnasium at St. Thomas. The Carondelet Jazz Band, our students, open the evening at 6:30pm, with STA parishioner Phil Holm's 18-piece band on stage at 7:00pm. The evening includes a complimentary swing-era cocktail, hourly raffles, swing-dance lesson, complimentary
hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. The cost is $40 per person in advance (through February 4) or $50 at the door. All are welcome. Sign up on line at www.sta-mpls.org. Questions?  Contact Kathy Cahill by email or by phone at 612-922-9008.





News Notes     January 13, 2012

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Welcome back, Happy New Year, and BRRR! We are no longer in the extended fall mode—winter is upon us.  Please look to see that your children are no longer sporting their summer attire.  Bare legs do not make for a comfortable (or safe) recess.  We do go outside most days and cold wind can do nasty things to exposed skin.  Please remind your children that the full winter gear is now necessary—trade in the shorts for long pants, hoodies for parkas, bring sweats or leggings to put on under skirts at recess, and wear hats and mittens, and scarves or gators around the neck.  They want to look fashionable and need the adults in their lives to be the voices of reason.

While it is freezing cold outside—Spring sports registration is coming home for grades 5-8 today.  Our league, the SSYO, needs numbers from the schools so they can start planning for venues and hiring officials.  Please look for that and get signed up for baseball and softball!

The new pizza and subway lunch forms went home Tuesday and are due back by Wednesday, January 18th.

Today, we are also sending home the intent to re-register form for all our current families.  As the Board and administrative team begin planning the budget for the 2012-2013 school year and considering staffing, it really helps us to know which students are coming back to CCS.  We would like to get the teachers’ letters of employment out in a timely fashion, and that means we are planning for next year right now.  The intent form is due back on January 27, so please take a moment to fill it out and get it back to us as soon as possible.  If you have any questions, concerns or extenuating circumstances, please do call me or stop in to talk things over.

New family registration ended today and I am excited to tell you that we will be back to 3 kindergarten classrooms next year!  We have had such positive feedback from new families about Carondelet—people are really liking what they see here.  Megan Hower, our Admissions Coordinator has done a great job getting the people here, and then our students and teachers make us irresistible! 

Catholic Schools’ Week is right around the corner!  We will kick it off with Mass on Sunday, January 29 at 11:00 at St. Thomas the Apostle and end with 9:30 Mass at Christ the King on Sunday, February 5.  We would love to see Carondelet families in the pews at each parish those 2 Sundays.  Please help us thank parishioners for their support of our school, and show off our great students by attending those Masses in your Carondelet spirit wear.  Both parishes have graciously invited our children to be lectors, song leaders, greeters, and gift bearers.  It will be a fabulous celebration of our Catholic identity and we are would love to see a huge turn-out.

Next week, look for details for a fun-filled Catholic Schools’ Week with themes and activities each day January 30th through February 3rd.

Our second graders are making fleece blankets for Families Moving Forward this week.  They will be delivered on January 27th and given away at their alumni banquet in February.  Just another example of the loving service projects and outreach to the wider community that defines Carondelet!  Pray that the love and warmth present in the making of these blankets is felt by those who receive them.

On Wednesday, we held a prayer service at the Upper Campus and prayed for a miracle healing for Jack Jablonski.  Father Dale spoke to the students about miracles, our 5th graders did the readings and Mr. Nutter’s homeroom led the songs.  It was a great reminder of how blessed we are to be part of a community of faith.  Our white-out today and the wearing of the bracelets (which arrived this afternoon) are nice ways to outwardly show our support for Jack and the Jablonski family.  Let’s keep the prayers coming too!

A videographer from WCCO visited the Upper Campus today to check out our white-out in support of Jack Jablonski.  Watch for CCS on the ‘CCO news.

God bless you this weekend—stay warm!

Judges Needed for CCS Inventor's Fair–
Carondelet's 6th graders have been hard at work on their inventions and can't wait to show you what they can do!  We need volunteer judges for the Fair on Thursday Feb 2nd, 6-9 PM in the Upper Campus Social Hall.

It's easy to participate.  We will send you the judging worksheet in advance and only need three hours of your time.  We even provide dinner for you!  No expertise or VIRTUS training is required.  Please contact  CCS volunteer Mary Van Note (mary@vannote.com or 612.710.1827) if you can join in, and thanks in advance for your help.

"DOLLARS FOR DOUGH" NIGHT – Wednesday, January 25th!   On Wednesday, January 25th between the hours of 4:30 - 9:00pm, the Papa Johns in Edina will donate 20%o f sales back to Carondelet if you mention Carondelet and your teacher’s name when you phone to place your order. This may be the easiest fund raiser all year; just call (612) 924-1902 and order pizza for dinner! This offer is good on take out or delivery as long as you mention "Carondelet Dollars for Dough" when you place your order. (Watch for coupons and specials in the BGEs.) YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE DINNER ON AN ALREADY BUSY NIGHT OF SPORTS AND FAITH FORMATION CLASSES! ORDER PIZZA FROM PAPA JOHNS INSTEAD! JUST CALL (612) 924-1902


St. Thomas the Apostle 9th grader, Emma Stotts, delivers more than 70 coats to Waite House on January 10th through her coat drive Confirmation project.

The holidays are over, now what?
Beat the winter blues with two exciting upcoming events, hosted by St. Thomas the Apostle, that still have openings:

January 28, 2012: Bowling Party at Park Tavern, 7-9:30 p.m.

Join hosts Steve & Mary Kate Engel, Kamala Udayamurthy & Tom Vitt, and Jim & Kathleen Karges for a great evening of bowling and fun, including food, beverages, bowling, and shoe rental.
Cost per adult: $25
Click to reserve or call 612-961-7100

February 11, 2012: Swinging in the Big Band Era, 6:30-11:00 p.m.
The STA Parish Council invites singles and couples to the St. Thomas the Apostle "Big Band" gymnasium for more than just dancing! The Southside Big Band will entertain, there will be hors d'oeuvres and cocktails of the era, cash bar, and music raffles. Start the evening early with a complimentary dance lesson with Christy Dalton of the Fixx Studio, beginning at 6:00, and happy hour to the music of the Carondelet Jazz Band from 6:30-7:00. Invite your neighbors and friends!
Cost per adult: $40
Click to reserve or call 612-922-9008






News Notes     December 22, 2011


From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given!  Wishing Carondelet families a blessed Christmas, a happy, healthy New Year and plenty of time with family and friends over Christmas break.

All of us here at Carondelet Catholic feel lucky to be able to work with your kids everyday!  Our Christmas message to you is: Thanks for sharing the gift of your children with us.  Since you aren’t able to be here with us everyday, we want to share some warm and fuzzy highlights from our year so far:

8th grade and kindergarten buddies!  Seeing them hand-in-hand or bent over a project together is always a treat.  Their Olympics and Halloween party were especially fun. 

School liturgies!  We are so proud to see our students taking leadership roles as lectors, song leaders and acolytes.  They are developing public speaking skills as well as learning the order of the Mass and how to plan prayer services.

Student involvement in clubs!  We love seeing our kids come in before school for chess club, math team, middle school book club, Destination Imagination, band and sports practices.  They are building school spirit and having a chance to test different areas of talent and interest. 

Student Leadership!  From Student Council to Marathon, service projects, and even washing their lunch tables, we are so proud of the way they show responsibility and thoroughly enjoy working with them every day.

Handmade, heartfelt presents!  All year round your children make us cards, paint us pictures, and give us pins and necklaces they have made themselves.  These thoughtful gifts make our days, and mean so much to us.

These are some sweet things we have heard from your kids this year…
•    Two first graders looking for books on hair-styles or salons because they were planning to open their own beauty parlor.
•    Sixth graders, upon hearing that their teacher planned to “adopt a family” for Christmas asked if her house was big enough and if any of the kids would be coming to our school.
•    A kindergartener calling out to “Mr. Banana” when she saw Mr. Blanda.  She wasn’t being disrespectful, she thought that was his name.
•    An eighth grade boy reminding his classmates to “honor the absent” when some gossiping was going on.
•    During the gingerbread party one student said to her classmate, “This is the best day ever!”  Her friend replied, “Well, at school, yes.”
•    One of the kindergarteners asked me if I knew how to write in cursive and was very impressed when I told her I could.  I have added that skill to my resume.
•    A fourth grader asking Mrs. Parenteau (who is pregnant with twins), “When are we due?”
•    Eighth graders talking as they varnished their gifts for their buddies and one said, “I wonder if they are making gifts for us?” and her classmate answered, “Their gift to us is how cute they are!”

We know we have the best jobs in the world—coming to work with our Carondelet Saints everyday.  God bless your families this Christmas, and see you in 2012!







News Notes     December 16, 2011


From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

All the buzz this week has been about Christmas!  We have been practicing for the concert Tuesday night; making gingerbread, cards, and presents for our little buddies, teachers and parents; spending time in prayer around the Advent wreath; collecting items for Waite House and other charities; sharing goodies and stories of Christmas traditions; and decking the halls.  It has been a great 3rd week of Advent and the joy of the season is definitely in the air!

Pray for our teachers next week and offer a hug (or maybe an Advil).  The last week before Christmas is exciting and fun for the children, and for the teachers it can sometimes feel like trying to keep the lid on a popcorn popper.  They are so great at making this a meaningful time for our students, and I appreciate all the extra time they are putting in and the extra things they are lugging to and from school everyday.  God bless them!

The Carondelet Magazine Drive will run in February.  But if you are thinking of giving a magazine subscription as a Christmas gift, you can still support Carondelet.  Go to the AP Hearst website (www.APHearst.com) and enter our school code (carondeletsaints).  You will then be able to view the magazine choices, order magazines and Carondelet will receive 40% of the proceeds.  Any questions, please contact Holly Ziemer (suckowziemer@comcast.net) or Maureen Monchamp (tmmonchamp@msn.com).

Just a reminder about drop off and pick-up of students: If you are coming into the school at either campus, please pull into a parking space in the parking lot rather than leaving your car on York Ave. in front of the Upper Campus doors, or along side the sidewalk near the Lower Campus doors.  The arrival and departure areas will get even more congested when we have some snow, and for the safety of the kids, I want to avoid having them dropped off where they have to cross a lane of traffic in the street or the parking lot.  Thanks for your help with this.

This week the Saints’ Spirit Award was given out at each campus for students who demonstrated leadership and responsibility and made good choices in following the Golden Rule.  The November and December recipients celebrated with a light breakfast and each was recognized by his or her teacher. The students honored were:



Lower Campus recipients:
1st – Evelyn Doran, Mary Koby
         2nd – Annabella Near, Emerson Foley



Upper Campus recipients:
3rd – Joe Vascellaro, Matt Bitter
 4th – Joseph Kelly, Nicole Strom
      5th – Claire Michael, Like Frommelt
  6th – Ava Smithmier, Kylie Engel
                 7th – Katerina Papanikolopoulos, Max Voda
    8th – Paul Heltemes, Maisy Martin


The third graders participate in a vocabulary building competiton called Word Masters.  They study the definitions, synonyms and antonyms of some pretty challenging words, and then take an analogy test that includes the words.  The top scorers were:  LouLou Lambert,  Frankie Vascellaro, Megan Wenner, Ethan Nelson, Peter Forseth,  Matt Bitter, Emma Frommelt, Sadie Sullivan, Chloe Swanson, Walsh Kern, Van Lederman, Luci Arnoldy, and Ally Lacek.  Mrs. Clark gave me the analogies test and you can take comfort that your school principal was able to pull off a 90% on this very challenging third grade exam!

A couple reminders about next week:  All students report to the Upper Campus on Monday and Tuesday mornings for Christmas concert rehearsals
and No school on Friday, December 23, by decree of Fr. Dale Korogi.

Mr. Blanda and I have begun interviewing candidates for our middle school math position and hope to have word to you soon on who will be our new teacher.  We know the students are anxious to find out who will be with them for the second half of the year.  We have been pleased with the quality of the applicants and have met with some great teachers.  Becky Farber will be with us up to Christmas break, and it has been a true Godsend knowing our children were in good hands during this difficult time.  We couldn’t convince her to come all the way out of retirement, however.  She is enjoying her family time, travel, and taking college courses.

Our 8th grade Quiz Bowl team had a good showing yesterday at the University of St. Thomas.  They made it to the semi-final round, but not to the final 4.  Mr. Grabowski was very proud of them and said some of the fun and difficulty comes from the buzzing in.  Even if you know the answer, an early or late buzz takes you out of the running.

Our varsity basketball team won a nail-biter in double overtime against IHM.  Way to go Saints!

God bless your 4th week of Advent and thanks for sharing your children with us!

From Mrs. Knauff:  If you donated a copy of The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss, please let me know.  A copy was placed in my Lower Campus mailbox without the name of the person who gave it.

Kindergarten
    
   Drew Abbs
Henry Cleary
Miles Del Ghingaro    
Oliver Foley   

   Victoria Jacobson    Alma Looney
Ireland PersonAvi Schaffer

First Grade


  
   Mackenzie Kelley    
Shea Traverse

  
Second Grade
    
   Austin AldridgeElla Conlon
Meghan EikensMax Hankins
   Molly Jacobson Avery JunkerKatie Mae MillerJP Van Sloun 

   Aidan TraverseMargaret Walker     
Vivian Woodland     
 
Third Grade
    
   Georgia Clark
   
Fourth Grade
    
   Will Eikens
Elie Skemp 
  
Fifth Grade
    
   Keenan ConleyConnor Lawler
Danny Monchamp
 
Sixth Grade
    
   Sebastien DeVetPatrick Eikens   
  
Eighth Grade
    
   Brooke Behning Frankie GormleyJimmy Youngblut     
 


News Notes     December 9, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Reminder/Update on our new billing system:  On the last school day of each month, your bill is sent via email (subject line is: Letter from Carondelet).  The bill includes tuition and any fees for lunches, fieldtrips, or other activities for the month.  This service was set up at the start of the school year to prevent our families from having to write several checks for different school happenings.  Please watch for it and do your best to stay current on your payments.  If no new charges have been added to your bill, you will not receive the monthly invoice.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email Julie Stoeger at jstoeger@carondelet-mpls.org, or call her at the Upper Campus (612.927.8637 x12).  Thanks so much for your help in implementing this new system.

The middle school dance is a great tradition for our 6th through 8th graders.  It will be held on the last day of school before Christmas break, Thursday, December 22, at 1:30.   The 8th grade Student Council members will be visiting the 6th grade classes to tell them all about it, and to teach them the group and line dances.  The students are in uniform that day.

During this season of Advent, prayer services at each campus have given the students more opportunities to hear the traditional sacred music, prayers, and readings that make Advent such a special liturgical season.  At the Lower Campus, the students meet as a group first thing every morning, and at the Upper Campus they meet each Wednesday at 10. 

On Saturday, December 3, 7th graders, David O’Neill, Henry Suckow-Ziemer, Katerina Papanikolopoulos, Colin Kesicki and Sarah Helm participated in the Insect Fair at University of Minnesota.  Colin and Sarah presented their displays of Colin’s observational study of the Praying Mantis and Sarah’s experimental study of How Caffeine Affects Lady Bird Beetle Reproduction. Their display includes a huge (3’ X 6’) permanent display of the praying mantis that the two students built as a team! David shared his experiment about how temperature affects activity in hissing cockroaches. Henry’s experiment explored how dark versus sudden short periods of bright light impact burrowing in Bess Beetles.  Katerina’s experiment tested whether Painted Lady butterflies prefer honey to sugar in artificial nectar. In addition to sharing their own projects, Carondelet students learned more about insects through workshop sessions and listening to other student presentations of research and permanent displays.  A big thank you to Mrs. Cope for building the skills of scientific inquiry and for sparking student interest to such a degree that 7th graders spend a Saturday on it!

I have an addition to the Christmas concert practice schedule that was in last week’s News Notes:  On Wednesday, December 14, all students in grades K-8 will be dismissed from the Upper Campus; and all students will start the day at the Upper Campus on Monday the 19th and Tuesday the 20th.  The program will be recorded and DVD’s can be ordered ahead of time.  An order form came home today if you are interested.

Carondelet graduate, McCall Bromelkamp, is wrapping up her service project, a men’s shoe collection for HCMC, and Monday, the 19th will be the last day.   If you have gently used men’s shoes to donate, please drop them at either campus.

The Carondelet Annual Report and Annual Fund letter were sent last week, and Board members will be phoning school families to encourage participation.  We have an added incentive this year with a matching gift of up to $10,000 for any first time donations to the Annual fund.  So if you haven’t participated before, your gift this year will be doubled!  Thank you so much for considering the Annual Fund for end of the year donations.

Some exciting upcoming events:  Our first graders will be marching at the front of the Holidazzle Parade again on Saturday night; our band will be playing at the Vet’s home on December 13th and Mall of America on the 16th at 6:00pm; The 7th graders go to the Guthrie for the Christmas Carol on the 14th, the 8th grade Quiz Bowl is on the 15th at the University of St. Thomas, the first graders have their gingerbread party on Friday the 16th, and the 8th graders will make gingerbread houses with their kindergarten buddies on the 21st.  There is nothing like December!

We are looking for some office chairs for the table in Julie Stoeger’s office, and a scanner for each campus. If your office is updating soon, please keep us in mind.

Have a wonderful weekend and as we light the rose colored candle on our Advent wreaths, may your families experience the joy of Gaudete Sunday!

Innisbrook Orders: Orders have been delivered and are ready to be picked up.  At the Lower Campus, orders are in the Large Muscle Room (across from Club Saint) on the lower level.  At the Upper Campus, please go to the Business Office.  We appreciate your support.

Bookfair Update  from Sandy Knauff: Thanks to your support and the work of many wonderful volunteers, our total sales topped last year’s by at least $1300.   Barnes & Noble is still tallying the totals for online and NOOK sales and I should hear within the next week.  This is fantastic!
Thank You to:  Thanks to each of our wonderful co-chairs: Kathleen Eikens, Laura Johnson,  and Sarah Reinbold and to Parent workers:  Andrea Felton Abbs, Catherine DeVet, Kathleen Eikens, Meagan Gerstner, Bonnie Hancock, Sheila Helm, Tricia Hill, Laura Hinnendael, Lori Holton, Laura Johnson,  Maureen Monchamp, Cindy Petrusek, Sarah Reinbold,  Monique Scheel,  and Carrie Voda. 
Thanks also to student volunteers: Elle Buckvold,  Leo Driessen, Nathan Garcia, Frankie Gormley, Jack Kelley, Caroline Monchamp and Max Voda.
A special thank you to our very entertaining and enthusiastic guest readers:  Sue Kerr, Jeanne Phenow, and Fr. Dale.


Birthday Books: Thank you to the following students and their parents for giving some wonderful books to our library in honor of the student’s birthday.  We appreciate your support!


Educational Outfitters
annual winter sale has begun!  10% off school uniforms now until Dec 31st (shop online, in-store or by phone).  Please see the attached flyer for details.

News Notes     December 2, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

This week we buried one of our own and the entire CCS community banded together to make a very fitting tribute and goodbye to Ms. Berg.  Our children were a very important part of the service, greeting people at the doors and handing out worship aids, serving as acolytes, singing the psalm, carrying up the gifts, and cleaning up after the luncheon.  They, along with their classmates, under the guidance of their teachers and Fr. Dale learned what we do when someone we love dies .  As a faculty we have discovered that the students are helping us get through this just as much as we hope we are helping them. 

The outpouring of support from our parent community has been especially appreciated as well.  We all have found great comfort in the thoughts and memories of Ms. Berg that you have shared.  We were very grateful for your memorial donations, the bars for the lunch, and your service at the luncheon.  Thank you for caring for us by coming together during this tough time.  Let’s continue to pray for one another and our children as we try to get back to the business of learning!

Mrs. Farber will continue to be with us with the exception of a few days that she has previous commitments until we can find a long-term substitute to finish out the year.  It has been a great blessing to have her here!

This is a very busy weekend here at CCS.  Our Morning with St. Nick takes place on Saturday from 9 to noon.  This is a great chance for kids to shop for Christmas gifts for family members and to have a picture taken with St. Nick.  The St. Thomas Parish JustGiving Fair-trade sale will also run all weekend with live music and merchants offering free trade and sustainable goods.  Saturday night is the first
Holidazzle parade for our 1st grade marchers who brought in the most food in the October Waite House collection.  They will be at the front of the parade collecting food donations from the crowd, and Waite House will receive the donations.  The second Holidazzle parade for our students is Saturday, December 10.

Also this weekend two of our
Carondelet students, Kiran and Naiya Patel, will be performing in the play, Fiddler on the Roof with the Southwest Theatre Project on Friday at 7, Saturday at 2 & 7 and Sunday at 2.  The performance is held at Clara Barton School, located at 4237 Colfax Avenue.  Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for kids. 

Rehearsals are underway for our December 20th
Christmas program.  Ms. Lee and Mr. Ruhnke have been working with the students on a wonderful show that will spotlight each class, feature our band, and include a special number or two from the kindergarten and 8th grade buddies.  The concert will be held in church at Christ the King.  We will have sections of seats reserved by grade level.  The students should come dressed in their “Sunday best” with special care to age-appropriate, modest attire befitting the church space and occasion of celebrating Christ’s birth.

Three of our rehearsal schedules will include some
changes in bussing as we all meet at the Upper Campus.  At the end of the day on Wednesday, December 14, all students will be dismissed from the Upper Campus and on Monday, December 19th and Tuesday, December 20th, all students should report to the Upper Campus first thing in the morning for a 10:05 rehearsal.  Lower Campus students will be bussed back to the Lower Campus following the rehearsals and will finish the day as usual.

Next week, Christ the King Parish is hosting
Families Moving Forward, an organization that provides temporary shelter to families who are homeless.  Families spend one week at various churches throughout the Archdiocese and are provided a safe place to sleep, healthy meals and fellowship.  They will be using the social hall and auditorium. 

On Monday, Dec 12th the Cub Scout
Annual Kids Bingo Bash will be held in the Christ the King Social Hall from 6:45 – 8:30 pm. All K-3rd boys (current Cub Scouts and those boys interested in joining Scouts), their younger siblings (boy or girl) and parents are welcome to attend this free event.  There will be kids’ Bingo with prizes for all who attend, and treats will be served. This is a good opportunity for those boys who haven’t been to a meeting but are interested in Cub Scouts to have a fun time and get an idea of some of the things we do over the year.  For more information please contacts Scott Maves at scott@maveswaves.com or 952-220-2961; or  Rod Helm at rhelm@cbburnet.com.

God bless your families during this second week of Advent and as usual—go Gophers and go Saints!

Prayer Services:  A Prayer Service will be celebrated at the Lower Campus on Tuesday, December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, at 10:15am.  Mass will be celebrated at the Upper Campus on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Thursday, December 8 at 10:00am.

Wizard of Oz Parent Meetings:
  Parent Meetings for The Wizard of Oz are Sunday, Dec 4 and Monday, Dec 5.  Both meetings will be held in the STA chapel from 7:30-8:15pm - LOWER CAMPUS.  Parents may choose one to attend either session.

Innisbrook Winners:  Innisbrook sales Holidazzle "Hot Seat" tickets First Place winner is Emma Reinbold. Second Place Innisbrook sales winner goes to Owen Nugent with a $100 tuition credit!  Innisbrook Raffle Winners:  Angelo Bacic, Mae Conlon, Philip Enlgand, Charlotte Mento, Henry Mueller, Owen Nugent, Liam Nugent, Emma Reinbold, Ava Smithmier, Eleanor Stoffel, James Studeny, and Shea Traverse.  Out of Uniform Day goes to the Lower Campus classes K-2. 
Thanks for your support.

Ninth grader, Emma Stotts is conducting a
Coat Drive for the families of Waite House in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.  Drop any coat or jacket at Edina Cleaners, 4500 France Ave. S. and it will be cleaned and delivered to Waite House at the end of December.

News Notes     November 18, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

There is a lot of news to share this week – one of the benefits of being part of such a vibrant community!

Since our wonderfully successful Open House,
registrations have been coming in from new families.  We will be sending registration information to our current families who have kindergarteners for next fall after Thanksgiving break (with a due date of January 13).  Please let us know if you have an incoming kindergartener and do not receive the information.  We would like to have our student numbers as soon as possible as we plan for the number of sections we will need next year.  Re-registration for our returning students will be the first week in March.

This weekend is our Barnes and Noble Book Fair!  This is a chance to buy your Christmas gifts early with a percentage of the proceeds coming back to Carondelet to support our library.  Please stop by the Galleria store Saturday or Sunday for some shopping, fellowship and to hear one of the guest readers. Click here for all the details.

Advent is almost upon us, with the first Sunday falling after Thanksgiving on November 27.  It is one of my favorite times of the year.  As adults we feel it is four of the shortest weeks, but to the kids these weeks drag by as they wait for Christmas.  I would encourage you to take time to celebrate Advent as a family.  As we rush around preparing our homes, buying gifts, cooking, and making plans, it is good to take time out to prepare our hearts as well.  In school, the students will be celebrating with weekly prayer services at each campus, and learning the meaning behind this season of waiting and watching.  Booklets are coming home with your children today for you to use to celebrate the three comings of Christ—His birth at Christmas, His coming to us today in the Eucharist, and His future coming. 

On Saturday, December 3rd, in conjunction with St. Thomas the Apostle’s Just Giving Fair-Trade sale, we invite you to our 3rd annual Morning with St. Nick at Carondelet’s Lower Campus. The event will include visits and photos with St. Nick, a kids-only holiday shoppe, cookies, refreshments, and more. The event will be held from 9:00am-Noon.  All are welcome, so mark your calendars and spread the word!
     Student Volunteers Needed: The Morning with St. Nick planning committee is looking for a few middle-school volunteers to help in the Kids-Only Holiday Shoppe. Please contact Megan Hower if you’d like to help.
     Wrapping Paper/Gifts Needed: If you have wrapping paper, gift bags or items for the gift shop you’d like to donate to the event, you can drop them off at either school office marked "St. Nick".

Every Tuesday after school, 7th and 8th graders are invited over to CTK’s Venture space
“Down Under”.  It is a chance to connect with other kids from Venture for snacks, a game of pool or just hanging out together.  Drop in from 4 to 6, and bring $1.  Parent volunteers are needed to help supervise. 

Yearbook presales have begun and forms were sent via e-blasts from your homeroom reps.  This year we encourage you to order onlinePhotos for the yearbook may also be submitted online.  Click here to view a flyer with details about submitting photos. The school code/User ID is: 400134390; the Password is: 4451carsch; and the deadline to submit photos is: January 20th. Hard copy order forms are available at each campus office as well.

A Message from McCall Bromelkamp, a graduate of Carondelet’s class of 2011:  This winter season will be very chilly and HCMC hospital is collecting shoes for the homeless men in our community who come to the hospital. You can help by bringing in new or gently used men’s shoes to the Upper or Lower Campus. There will be plastic bins at each Campus. Last year Carondelet alone donated over 100 pairs of shoes! We will be collecting them for the next couple weeks, SO BRING 'EM IN!


It is wonderful to see that our graduates carry their spirit of service with them as they move on to high school!  De LaSalle also sent a letter congratulating Carondelet alumni on their academic achievements and the list is so long that we have attached the letter here.  It always feels great to hear how much Carondelet students are accomplishing at the area high schools. 

This weekend the Golden Gophers face the Wildcats of Northwestern. Hopefully we will have a good showing after the tough loss to the Badgers last weekend.
  Thanks for sharing your kids with us and go Saints, go Gophers!

The Wizard of Oz is coming to Carondelet!  Auditions begin next month.  All CCS middle-schoolers are encouraged to participate.  Participation forms are due November 22. For more information and to complete a Participation Form or sign up for Auditions, please  visit Carondelet's Wizard of Oz homepage.

Calling all kids!  There are just a few spots remaining in our Kids' Night Gathering on Friday, December 9!  This fun night is for kids in grades K-6 and will include pizza, a movie, and games in the St. Thomas the Apostle (Lower Campus) cafeteria. Drop off is at 6:00, pick up at 8:45, cost is $10/child. Please note: you do not need to be a student at Carondelet or a member of St. Thomas to participate. Please email MaryBeth Stotts at mbwarmka@aol.com for more information.

News Notes     November 11, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:


It is not quite Thanksgiving yet, but I want to begin my notes with a whole lot of important Thank You’s.

Last Thursday night we had a very successful Open House.  Megan Hower did a wonderful job getting the word out and planning an event to showcase Carondelet to new families.  The building looked great (thanks to Andy and Denny); the 2 greatest kindergarten teachers in the world were on hand to wow our visitors with presentations about the curriculum, mission and philosophy; Fr. Dale made a warm welcome; Mrs. Lee led the first graders in song, and they couldn’t have been any cuter; and we had parent volunteers on hand who toured our visitors through the Lower Campus to meet members of our excellent faculty.

I want to thank everyone who gave so generously of their time to put on a successful Open House for more than 75 prospective parents.  Thank you to parent greeters: Ann McGarry, Maureen Monchamp, Catherine O’Neill, Matt Voda, Monica Stuart, Maria Guertin, Bob & Heidi Near, Andrea Abbs, Maria Rosengren, Sara Michel, Sarah Traverse, Nicole James, Bridget Peterson, Tracy LaMuth, and Jackie Carter.  Thanks to those who worked in the nursery: Jenny Kesicki, Cole Engstrand, Sarah Helm, and Sophia Holien.  And a big thanks to our first-grade singers and their parents for sharing them with us!  And finally thank you to our superstar teachers for your time and effort.  Many hands make light work — thank you all for pitching in to spread the good news about our great school!

More thanks are in order as well—our Marathon committee: Heather Runman, Kim Bacic, Katy Mullin, Terri Fulco, Brenda Roth, John Lick, Kathleen Eikens, Laurie Junker, Monica Stuart, and Nicole James, with the leadership of Mary Kelly, pulled off a great event that brought in $92,000!  A special thanks to Libby Sullivan who designed the Marathon logo.

The prize for the top student went to Meghan Kelly, but we had three other students who were very close to her total and we will be awarding each of them the Carondelet hooded sweatshirt!  Thanks and congratulations to Meghan, to Kate and Margaret Engel, and to Claire Prindiville!  Watch for a separate email with more Marathon details.  We also still have about $1700 in uncollected pledges, so if you have not yet turned in what was pledged, please do so and bring the total close to $94,000.

Thanks to Mr. Grabowski’s 8th grade religion students who wrote notes to members of our armed forces serving in Afghanistan.  What a great way to celebrate Veterans' Day. 

The Innisbrook wrapping paper sale is coming to a close next week, so if you would like to order, please see the website for details.  The deadline for sales has been extended to Wednesday, November 16.

Before Thanksgiving watch for some exciting news from Home and School about a new way to get involved with the Scrip gift card fundraising program.  We will be offering a chance to set up a secure account to purchase and pay on line, along with the option of writing checks for your purchases.  I am excited about the possibility of growing this program as a way to have Carondelet benefit from money we would all be spending anyway on groceries, restaurants, gas, and gifts.  A committee has been researching ways to make this easier and more profitable for the school.  Jamie Turner, Erica Riley, Antonia Pierce, and Katy Koll will be sending home information about the program and coordinating it as we move forward.  They will also be at the morning for St. Nick on December 3rd with gift cards on hand for sale.  They are hopeful that this could replace the wrapping paper fundraiser for Home and School in the future.  (Another reason to order your wrapping now!)

On Friday of last week the teachers attended a morning retreat and then headed to Way Cool Cooking School in Eden Prairie for an Iron Chef competition.  Three teams were formed by randomly drawing a knife, fork or spoon.  Each team had secret ingredients to work with to prepare a main dish, a side and a dessert.  The spoon team was declared the winner of the competition!  We had a great time together and enjoyed sampling the dishes prepared by each team.

 

Iron Chef Champions:  The Spoons

If you are finding that Halloween candy is overstaying its welcome at your house, please drop it off at either school office for Waite House.

This weekend the Gophers and Badgers battle for Paul Bunyon’s Axe.  We hope for a change of venue for the Axe this year—bring it home Gophers! On Monday we will celebrate another border battle with purple and green day—an out of uniform day and a chance for Viking and Packer fans to show their colors.

Report cards are available online today at 5:00 at Cornerstone.  Please email Stan Blanda if you have any questions or problems accessing your Cornerstone account.

Thanks for sharing your kids with us, God bless you and go Saints, go Gophers!

We have extended the deadline for our Innisbrook Fundraiser to Wednesday, November 16 due to being short of our goal for 2011.  Home & School earns 50% of all product sold.  100% of this fundraiser goes to support our teachers and staff at Christmas.

Don't need wrapping paper or other items through Innisbrook?  Cash donations count as a 100% donation and your child will be eligible for all Carondelet raffles.

We thank you for your support and please feel to call/e-mail if you have ANY questions, we would be happy to help!

Tamara Foley  612.385.4521  thefoleys.mn@gmail.com

Sarah Reinbold  952.200.3049  sarahreinbold@msn.com

If you would like to get some fresh air and exercise with our Lower Campus students, contact Lenore Costello in the LC office by email or phone (612.920.9075) to volunteer for recess duty.   We are also in need of lunchroom volunteers.  The open dates for Lunchroom are: November 22, January 11, 24, and 31.  We are need of playground volunteers on December 22, January 9, 18, 19, 24, 31, February 1, 2, 6, 7, 13, and 15. Lenore would love to hear from you.

Carondelet Catholic School's annual Barnes & Noble Bookfair is scheduled for Saturday, November 19 and Sunday, November 20 at the Galleria.  This is the main source of funding of books for our library in which we receive a percentage of total sales for the two days, along with online sales.  It is very important to identify your purchases as part of the Carondelet Catholic School Bookfair. We will have "wish lists" from each teacher with titles they would like to add to their classroom collection. Click here for more information.

The Carondelet table will be in the Children’s section at the Galleria Barnes & Noble with our school Librarian, Mrs. Knauff, and other fantastic Carondelet volunteers there from 11:00-4:00 to help with your selections.  There will be various events going on throughout the two days:  Principal Sue Kerr reading a favorite book at 11:00am on Saturday, Upper Campus secretary, Jeanne Phenow reading a favorite book at 12:15pm on Saturday, Fr. Dale Korogi reading a favorite book at 1:00pm on Sunday, and several 7th & 8th graders reading some favorite books, playing  games, and gift wrapping presents for shoppers!  This is a GREAT weekend to get that Christmas shopping started but best of all a percentage of your Barnes & Noble purchases will benefit our school. 

Can’t attend our Bookfair at Barnes & Noble that weekend?  NO PROBLEM!  Just visit BN.COM/bookfairs and enter the Carondelet Bookfair ID#10522670 at checkout and we will be credited for those purchases. 

This has always been a fun and successful event in the past so let’s continue that tradition and we’ll see you at Barnes & Noble at the Galleria! 

Saint Thomas Academy congratulates the following students from Carondolet for their outstanding academic achievements during the 2010-2011 school year.  The awards are given annually based on student grades.  Students earning an Eagle Award have a GPA of 3.67 and higher and the Torch Award is given to students with a GPA of 3.33-3.67.

         Eagle Award
         Nikolaus Neiberger

         Torch Award
         Thomas Conley
         Lewis Kloster


News Notes     November 4, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Two big pieces of news:  In case you missed it, the Minnesota Golden Gophers beat Iowa over the weekend! And we will not have school on Friday, December 23. 

We packed a lot into our short week at school.  On Monday, the kindergarteners and 8th graders had their special buddy Halloween party at the Upper Campus.  The 8th graders had decorated the hallways and their classrooms and had many activities set up for their little buddies.  They went through a haunted classroom, drew pictures on grave stones, played games, read stories, did face painting, and enjoyed some snacks.  Both groups looked great, and a good time was had by all!

On Tuesday, Fr. Dale celebrated a Feast of All Saints Mass with the Upper Campus students.  The third graders did a fine job as readers and song leaders.  Afterward I heard a lot of compliments for our well-behaved children from parishioners.


On Tuesday night the middle school teachers held their Parent-Teacher conferences, trying out a new arena style format.  We heard a lot of positive feedback and also found some ways we can tweak the process to improve it for next time.  Thank you to the parents in all grades who have taken the time to meet with your children’s teachers these last couple weeks.  Please feel free to contact any teachers you did not have a chance to meet to set up another conference time. 


Now that conferences are winding down, if you find yourself having any questions about Cornerstone, please contact Mr. Blanda by email or phone (612.920.9075).  He may be able to help you remotely, and is also willing to meet with you for a tutorial.  Cornerstone online report cards will be available on Friday, November 11 at 5:00 pm.


Have you seen the wonderful pop art Mr. Durben’s students have hung in the hallways?  If not, make a point to walk through—the giant hamburger is especially fun!  

 


Here are a few great opportunities to volunteer during the school day. Pizza and Subway lunch volunteers are still needed.  Many parents already have signed up using the very easy and quick on-line scheduling program. Thank you! There are still quite a few openings, especially in January.  If you are able to help on Mondays and/or Thursdays, click on the link below to get on the schedule. If you already signed-up but are able to add a shift or two, go ahead and follow the link as well.


http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/522345632562050097


Time commitment is 12 – 1:30 at the LC and 11:45 – 2:00 at the UC. We also need parents to help put trays away at the end of the school day.  If you would prefer not to use the on-line scheduling program, feel free to e-mail Amy Conlon with the dates that work for you, and she will add you to the schedule.


Health aides
are needed for the Lower Campus during the lunch hour (12:15 to 1:15). Aides staff the nurse’s desk during lunch recess, seeing to the needs of the students, and also doing light projects for the teachers.  In the past, we have allowed the lunch aides to invite their children to eat with them.  Going forward (starting in January) this will no longer be the case.  We realize that those who signed up in the first round may have done so with the intention of having lunch with your children and we do want to honor that.  When the January schedule begins, we will not allow students in with their parents serving as health aides.  This is in response to safety and health concerns about kids eating where sick and injured children are coming for attention.  I hope this won’t deter anyone from signing up for this important volunteer position.  Cindy Petrusek, mother of kindergartener, August, coordinates the health volunteers and will have her January sign-up available at the Lower Campus office.


If you would like to get some fresh air and exercise with our Lower Campus students, contact Lenore Costello in the LC office by email or phone (612.920.9075) to volunteer for recess duty.   We are also in need of lunchroom volunteers.  Lenore would love to hear from you.


If your child missed picture day, or appears to be sleeping in the photo, picture retake day is Thursday, November 10.


Hug a teacher!
  With end of quarter, Halloween and long days for conferences converging, I am sure they would appreciate a little extra attention.


Thanks for sharing your great kids with us
and go Saints, go Gophers (Michigan State on Saturday)!


Don't forget
the Innisbrook Wrapping Paper Fundraiser. The sale end Friday, November 11.  Click on this link to be taken directly to Carondelet’s order page on the Innisbrook site.   Please be sure to include the Carondelet School code: 102424 so that Carondelet receives credit for all purchases. There are great raffle prizes (tuition credit, gift certificates, iTunes gift cards, etc.) plus an Out-of-Uniform day for top-selling classrooms as well as additional prizes directly from Innisbrook.


News Notes     October 28, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Middle school parent-teacher conferences will have a new look this year. We are hoping to give parents the opportunity to see each of the teachers they are interested in talking to.  All the middle school teachers will be available in the Social Hall at the Upper Campus on the night of November 1st from 5 until 8.  They will be spaced apart from one another to ensure privacy.  Parents will line up to meet with the teachers they would like to see, and we will keep the conferences brief.  If you would like a lengthier conference with any of the teachers, please email them directly to set that up for another day.  Also, if you cannot make it that night, or end up not having a chance to conference with any of the teachers you were hoping to see, please email to set up another time. 

The teachers feel it would be helpful to have you visit Cornerstone before your conference to familiarize yourself with your child’s current grades.  If  you would like a refresher on how to utilize your Cornerstone account, Mr. Blanda and I will be available in the  Upper Campus computer lab starting at 4:00 that day to work with anyone who is interested.

If you have not yet accessed your Cornerstone account this school year, please do so before the quarter ends on November 3rd.  If you experience any problems logging in or have any questions, please contact Stan Blanda by email.  Cornerstone accounts are suspended due to inactivity or repeated attempts to use the incorrect password.  Once logged in for the first time this year you may be asked to create a new password and answer 3 security questions.

Our Waite House collection was a HUGE success!  We collected 5,232 food items.  The friendly competition for a chance to march in the Holidazzle Parade made the collection into a great contest with students eying the amount of food their neighbors were collecting.  We collected so much that it took a couple trips with the Waite House van to deliver the items.  There wasn’t enough room at Waite House to hold all 5,232 donations, so they will be coming back to pick up more early next week.  The top class with 653 items was Mrs. Pote’s First Grade class in room 1-107.  Great job everyone, many families will have the food they need thanks to your generosity!  Thanks for your continued support and generosity!







This weekend our CCS sports teams will be finishing their seasons with tournaments around the metro area.  Check the Athletics page on our website for a list of times and venues and go cheer on our Carondelet Saints! 

On Thursday evening next week, we will hold our Admissions Open House for families with new kindergarteners for next school year.  Please invite your friends and neighbors to come to learn more about our fine school.

On Friday, November 4th there is no school as we have our staff retreat day.  Please pray for us as we nurture our spiritual selves in the morning and then have some team-building fun in the afternoon.  Fr. Dale will begin the day with a Mass for us at 9:00 and Home and School is providing breakfast.  The rest of the morning retreat will focus on our theme of the Golden Rule.  The afternoon is a surprise, but I hope to have pictures to share in the next week’s News Notes. 

Did you know there are only 56 shopping days left until Christmas?  Have your wrapping paper taken care of by ordering with the Home and School Innisbrook fundraiser that supports end of the year gifts for our teachers.  Carondelet has one early Christmas gift for you.  We will not have school on Friday, December 23rd.  Hopefully this will ease the stress of getting your family where they need to be to celebrate the Nativity of our Lord!  Merry Christmas!

The Minnesota Golden Gophers did not make a strong showing last week, but maybe they will pull something out of their helmets for a win over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday (life-long Gopher fans learn to use this kind of illusory thinking).  Go Saints and go Gophers!

Today kicks off the start of the Innisbrook Wrapping Paper Fundraiser with sales lasting for 2 weeks, ending on Friday, November 11.  Please check your child’s backpack today for the Innisbrook catalog and order instructions.  Click on this link to be taken directly to Carondelet’s order page on the Innisbrook site.   Please be sure to include the Carondelet School code: 102424 so that Carondelet receives credit for all purchases. There are great raffle prizes (tuition credit, gift certificates, iTunes gift cards, etc.) plus an Out-of-Uniform day for top-selling classrooms as well as additional prizes directly from Innisbrook.

The Upper Campus students and staff will be celebrating the Feast of All Saints with Mass at 10:00 am on Tuesday, November 1st.

First quarter ends on Thursday, November 3rd.

To celebrate Carondelet's exceeding our Marathon goal, many of the teachers and staff dyed their hair today!

News Notes     October 14, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

This has been such a beautiful week, and we have been so lucky weather-wise.  At the Upper Campus the venting for the new boiler is going in and we should have it up and running just in time for the inevitable drop in temperature.  A big thanks to Christ The King parish for undertaking this big project to keep us warm this winter—we appreciate your generous support of our school!

The faculty at Carondelet will be continuing the great tradition of honoring students in grades 1 through 8 with the Saints’ Spirit Award each month.  Teachers nominate students who have shown compassion, honesty, diligence in their school work, and positive leadership.  From these nominations, one student from each grade is chosen to receive the award each month.  The students receive a certificate and are honored at a breakfast held every other month.  September and October honorees will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 19.

The students who were chosen for September are 1st grader John Dolan; 2nd grader Troy Juhn;  3rd grader  LouLou Lambert; 4th grader Chase Taylor; 5th grader Gabriela Schmidt; 6th grader Clare Van Note; 7th grader Sarah Helm; and 8th grader Nathan Wachowiak.

The October recipients are 1st grader  Ben Frommelt; 2nd grader  Nina Skemp;  3rd grader  Van Lederman; 4th grader Zachary Juhn; 5th grader Max Gerstner; 6th grader Jacob Kauffman ; 7th grader Alex Hopper; and 8th grader Patrick McCarthy.
 
Congratulations to all of you, and keep up the good work!

This week we sent invitations to our November 3rd Open House at the Lower Campus, and a billboard went up on the corner of 50th and Xerxes advertising the event. If you know families with kindergarteners for the 2012-2013 school year, please help us spread the word about our excellent school.  Invite your friends and neighbors to come on the 3rd, or if you would like us to send someone an invitation, please let me know.  Your word-of-mouth marketing is the best advertisement for Carondelet.

I had the chance to sit in on a 7th grade Physical Education class this week, and I couldn’t have been more impressed with our students.  They were working on volleyball skills in small groups for drills, and then on teams for a game.  They were so respectful of one another and of Mr. Bo.  Throughout their class, I heard “Way to go!” and “Nice try!”  Not once did I hear a groan or disparaging remark.  They were cooperative and genuinely happy to be playing together.  They were able to pack a lot of playing time into their class because they listened and followed directions.  I told Mr. Bo we should rent out this group of students to other schools as instructors on how to be 7th graders.

For parents who may have a student in one of the Minneapolis public high schools next year, the district is exploring adopting Metro Transit Go-To Cards for transporting high school students to school rather than providing school buses.  More information is available on their website as well as a place to leave your comments.  Click here for a link to the site.

On Thursday the Archdiocese sponsored a Communications Day at Pax Christi in Eden Prairie.  There were several national speakers and about 500 people in attendance.  Carondelet was asked to present on best practices for the use of a website and social media for Catholic grade schools.  Megan Hower and I gave a brief tour of the highlights of our site and Facebook page.  We received a lot of positive feedback on our use of digital media.  Kudos to Megan for her work as the editor of our on-line presence.

Next week is MEA weekend, and school will not be in session on Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday the 19th we have no busses, so it will be a parent drive day.  We discourage allowing the children to drive themselves.
 
Parent conferences will be held beginning the week of October 24th.  If you have not had a chance to set one up, please contact your child’s teachers.  Conferences are a great way to grow the partnership between home and school.  When I was a teacher I always felt I knew my students better after having a chance to talk with their parents.
 
Middle School Conferences have a new look–   
    Tuesday, November 1    5:00 - 8:00 pm
    Upper Campus Social Hall
Middle school teachers are anxious to share their observations as the first quarter ends.  Please continue to frequent Cornerstone for updated student progress.
 
The first Waite House pickup is Thursday, October 27th.  See today’s BGE for more information.

Thank you for sharing your children with us!  There is no Gopher game this weekend, but some great football can be seen tonight at the Holy Angel’s field at 5:00.  Our Carondelet middle school boys, who play on a combined team with Blessed Trinity, will take on Brooklyn Center.  Go Saints!

K-2 Halloween Celebration:  On Monday afternoon, October 31, K-2 students will celebrate Halloween. Students may bring a simple costume to change into at the end of the day. It will be an out of uniform day to make costuming easier (if a student is dressing as a black cat, for example, he/she may wear black pants and a black shirt). Look for a note in your BGE or your teacher's website for more guidelines.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair:  Carondelet Catholic School's annual Barnes & Noble Bookfair is scheduled for Saturday, November 19 and Sunday, November 20 at the Galleria.  This is the main source of funding of books for our library in which we receive a percentage of total sales for the two days, along with online sales.  It is very important to identify your purchases as part of the Carondelet Catholic School Bookfair. We will have "wish lists" from each teacher with titles they would like to add to their classroom collections.
 
The Carondelet table will be in the Children’s section at the Galleria Barnes & Noble with our school Librarian, Mrs. Knauff, and other fantastic Carondelet volunteers there from 11:00-4:00 to help with your selections.  There will be various events going on throughout the two days:  Principal Sue Kerr reading a favorite book at 11:00am on Saturday, Upper Campus secretary, Jeanne Phenow reading a favorite book at 12:15pm on Saturday, Fr. Dale Korogi reading a favorite book at 1:00pm on Sunday, and several 7th and 8th graders reading some favorite books, playing  games, and gift wrapping presents for shoppers! This is a GREAT weekend to get that Christmas shopping started but best of all a percentage of your Barnes & Noble purchases will benefit our school.
 
Can’t attend our Bookfair at Barnes & Noble that weekend?  NO PROBLEM!  Just visit BN.COM/bookfairs and enter the Carondelet Bookfair ID# 10522670 at checkout and we will be credited for those purchases.

This has always been a fun and successful event in the past so let’s continue that tradition and we’ll see you at Barnes & Noble at the Galleria!

Directory Correction:  The email for Steve and Kari Nelson is incorrect in the directory.  It should read: sknelson21@msn.com.

High School Open Houses:
The Academy of Holy Angels is hosting its fall open houses for prospective students on Wednesday, November 2, and Thursday, November 3, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is invited! Holy Angels is located at 6600 Nicollet Avenue South, Richfield.  For more information contact Admissions Director Jesse Foley at 612-798-2621 or jfoley@academyofholyangels.org.  Click here for more details.  To read the promotional postcard click here.
       
Parents and Prospective DeLaSalle Students: Please join us on Monday, October  24, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. for our first Open House for Prospective  Families. You'll learn a great deal about our wonderful school in two  short hours. And the treats will be great! For more information click here or please contact Mike O’Keefe at...
    Mike O'Keefe
    Vice President
    Director of Admission
    DeLaSalle High School
    One DeLaSalle Drive
    Minneapolis, MN  55401
    612-676-7679 - office    
    612-676-7699 - fax
    mike.okeefe@delasalle.com
 
 The St. Thomas the Apostle Great Gathering 2011 was a great success!  The following events still have a limited number of openings available, and descriptions and details for the parties can be found here: http://sta-mpls.org/book%20pdf.pdf. The guaranteed way of getting yourself a spot will be to sign up after any of this weekend's masses.  You can also send an email request to mbwarmka@aol.com, but it will not be processed until after Monday.  Thank you to all of you who attended, and we look forward to a year ahead of fun events and activities!
    501- Voda, Vinyasa, and Vino
    504- Book Club Night
    505- Bowling at Park Tavern
    508- St. Paul Saints Tailgating & Game
    510- Chili Cook Off
    511- Swinging In the Big Band Party
    512- Friday Night Lenten Fish Fry
    514- Kentucky Derby Party- with added hosts Chris and Cathy Hendrickson!
    515- Kids' Night Out- movie and pizza
    516- Belgian Bistro-style Beer Bash
    517- Family Pool Party
    520- Ukranian Egg Decorating

October 7     News Notes

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

Our Marathon was a great success last Saturday.  We had a gorgeous day and a nice turnout for the family fun day.  It was a real treat to see our middle school students donating their time to make the games and activities for the younger students.  Days like that remind me how special our K-8 model is.  I love seeing our 13 year olds working together to come up with something to impress our 5 year olds, and getting positive feedback from teachers and parents who knew them back when they were the 5 year olds.  Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped make that day of good, old-fashioned fun possible for our families.  AND thanks for raising money needed to support the tradition of high-quality Catholic education here in Southwest Minneapolis.  Way to go Mary Kelly, Heather Runman, Katy Mullin, Kim Bacic and the Marathon Committee—you put on a great event!

The Marathon fun continues—the kids may wear their tie-die t-shirts next Friday as we continue to collect pledges.  At this point, if everyone turns in the amount that was pledged, we will meet or exceed our $70,000 goal!

We are so blessed to have 2 priests working with our children at Carondelet Catholic School and are grateful to our parishes, St. Thomas and Christ the King, for sharing their pastors with us.  This past week we celebrated 2 really special liturgies together.  Tuesday was the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi and Father Harry led a prayer service honoring St. Francis and his appreciation for all of God's creation.  We concluded with a blessing of the pets on the front lawn.  It was a beautiful day to have dogs, cats, gerbils, guinea pigs and even fish gathered for a blessing.  Check out our Facebook page for some photos.  On Wednesday Father Dale celebrated a teaching Mass with our 3rd through 8th graders, explaining why we do things the way we do.  The students were reverent and added a lot of insight as Father Dale instructed and asked questions.  I heard from a few parents who attended that they learned a few things as well.  A big thanks to our parishes for their generous support of Carondelet Catholic.  We appreciate you!

I have had the chance to see a couple volleyball games this week, one 6th grade game against SACS, and a 7th grade game at OLG.  Besides their great athletic prowess and teamwork that produced wins for both teams, I was impressed with their sportsmanship and the way they treated each other.  What a nice bunch of girls and some excellent volleyball players!  They represented Carondelet very well!

At a meeting this week with several Archdiocesan principals and Superintendent Marty Frauenheim, we were discussing the possibilities for formatting report cards on Cornerstone.  The Carondelet kindergarten report card was mentioned as a great model to use for all kindergarten report cards.  I had to say I couldn’t take any credit for it, but I was not surprised that our faculty came up with an excellent example!  These discussions will continue as we work to make a standards-based grade report for all 1st through 8th graders in our Catholic schools.  I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

I have had the pleasure of doing formal observations in all the Lower Campus classrooms over the past two weeks.  I wish I could have you all with me to see the excellent instruction and care your children are receiving every day!  I have seen kindergartners working on number identification, sequencing and pattern skills; 1st graders reading and learning about verbs, and working on number partners and addition facts; and 2nd graders improving their writing and spelling skills, and learning to trust God to hear our prayers and meet our needs.  I also was able to see a music class where 2nd graders were learning notation and pitch matching; a P.E. class building soccer skills; and a Spanish class where kindergarteners were learning shape and color words.  I was impressed at how much our teachers can accomplish in a period because they have already built classrooms where students feel valued and loved.  I am looking forward to the next few weeks and being in the classrooms at the Upper Campus!

Next Tuesday, October 11 we have Picture Day at both campuses.  Everyone should get their picture taken, even if you will not be buying a package, as the photos are used for school records and the yearbook.  Students should come in their best uniform attire for a crisp look.  Look for a LifeTouch flyer coming home with your child today.

Here’s hoping this beautiful weather can hang on a bit longer and that the Golden Gophers can muster up a win at Purdue this weekend.  Thankfully the Marathon kept me from witnessing last weekend’s debacle at Michigan.  Go Saints and go Gophers!

Camp St. Croix:  On Friday, September 30th, the 6th grade returned from a three day trip to Camp St. Croix. Everyone had a marvelous time! The Camp St. Croix counselors praised our students for their excellent behavior, focus and enthusiasm!
 
Students learned teamwork through initiative and advanced initiatives classes, studied prairie environments, and built shelters in a minimal impact camping class. Teamwork and physical prowess were put to the test when students participated in the climbing wall challenge. In the evening, students had a presentation on wolves, were active participants in the Dr. Seuss production of “The Lorax”, assuming the roles of various interest groups in a Town Hall Meeting to discuss the possible sale and development of some of the Camp St. Croix property. On Friday students from both Carondelet Catholic School and Nativity of Bloomington played the game, “Predator-Prey”.
 
The teachers and students would especially like to thank those parents who accompanied us as chaperones. Their help made our trip such a tremendous success! We extend our thanks to: David Eikens, Chris Koch, Dave Lambert, Maureen Monchamp, Bridget Peterson, Maria Rosengren, Rod Sande, Nicole Sjosten, Don Smithmier and Lee Stotts.  Again, thanks so much!
 
                                                        Ms. Berg and Mr. Subialka



Upper Campus Volunteers Needed:  The Upper Campus needs two more volunteers to help with pizza lunch of Monday, October 24 and one more volunteer on Monday, November 7.  We also need one more volunteer to help with Subway lunch on Thursday, November 10.  Please email Jeanne at jphenow@carondelet-mpls.org if you are able to help.  Thank you!

"DOLLARS FOR DOUGH" NIGHT - Wednesday, October 26th!  On Wednesday, October 26th between the hours of 4:30 - 9:00pm, the Papa Johns in Edina will donate 20% of net sales back to Carondelet if you mention Carondelet and your teachers' name when you phone to place your order.   This may be the easiest fund raiser all year; just call (612) 924-1902 and order pizza for dinner!   Offer is good on take out or delivery as long as you mention "Carondelet Dollars for Dough" when you place your order.   (Watch for coupons and specials in the BGEs.)  You don't have to make dinner on an already busy night of sports and faith formation classes!  Order pizza from Papa Johns instead!   Just call (612) 924-1902.

Innisbrook Fundraiser:  It’s that time again and the Innisbrook wrapping paper/chocolate sales are right around the corner! For those of you who are new to Carondelet, the Innisbrook wrapping paper/chocolate sales is an important effort before the holiday season to raise money for various expenditures between now and Christmas.  The kick off will be Friday, October 28 and the sales will last for 2 weeks ending on Friday, November 11. 

Start telling your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers that their wrapping paper/chocolate needs will be met through the Carondelet sales team (a.k.a. “the students”)!

Directory Corrections:
    Marina Aguirre Anthony’s extension at the Lower Campus is 21.
    Kate Freeman’s email address is: kathleenmfreeman@comcast.net
    Kathy Jo Peterson's email address is kaje62@gmail.com

News Notes     September 30, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

MARATHON is the word around here this week!  Tomorrow is the big day and I look forward to seeing you all enjoying the games put together by our 8th graders, and the food and activities prepared by our Marathon committee.  It looks like we will have nice weather for the trip around Lake Harriet and the celebration at the Lower Campus.  Some new safety features have been added this year.  We will have labels with cell phone numbers to call in case anyone gets separated from the group, and we will have 2 Minneapolis police officers on duty for street crossing and overall safety.  You can help by dressing in your bright tie-dye or school colors, and by making sure your children are well supervised.  Pets are welcome to join us for the walk, but please do not bring them to the Lower Campus lots—we are expecting it to be quite crowded and busy.  The Marathon committee has been busy planning since before the start of the school year—many thanks for all the work you have put in already and for the work to come during and after the event!  

Remember—you can keep collecting pledges through all the collection days over the next month.  Let’s blow the lid off our goal of $70,000!  If we reach $85,000 many members of the faculty will be coloring their hair green and purple to celebrate!

Pets will be welcome and encouraged at the Lower Campus prayer service on Tuesday, October 4.  Following our 3:15 service in the Church, Fr. Harry will be doing a blessing of the animals in the front yard.  If you can bring your pets, please meet us on the lawn at 3:30 for the blessing in honor of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi.  If you cannot get your pet here, the children may bring pictures of them for the blessing.

On Wednesday, October 5, Fr. Dale will be leading the 3rd through 8th graders in a teaching Mass as he goes over some of the changes in the Roman Missal with us.  Please feel free to join us and get a sneak peak into the new translation of the Mass responses that will be used starting with the first Sunday of Advent on November 27th.

You may have noticed the re-keying work going on at the Lower Campus.  St. Thomas Parish has been working with the Floyd Lock Company on a new plan for securing the buildings.  The new system involves having different keys for different exterior doors.  In the past one exterior key opened multiple doors.  The new system makes sense for a shared building.  The new security plan will affect our morning drop-off routine.  Starting Monday, October 3rd, everyone will enter through the 44th St. door, as the doors on the east side of the building will be locked.  All walkers, carpoolers and bus riders will use the same door.  All interior doors have been re-keyed as well.  A big thank you to STA Parish for the thought (and funds!) you put into this project.  

The 6th graders have been at Camp St. Croix since Wednesday.  They were fortunate to get such great weather!  We sent them off with a blessing and a reminder to represent Carondelet well as they learn and have fun together.  They return today, and as Mrs. Berg mentioned as they boarded the bus full of excitement, the ride home is always much quieter than the ride there!  They will need some sleep (and likely a bit of a wash) when they get home.

8th grade parents, a note was emailed to you yesterday about a meeting with Mrs. Wintz and me to share information about the College Preparatory Math (CPM) curriculum.  Please join us on Tuesday morning at 8:30 and click here to see the letter.

Just a reminder that fall is the time to sign up at your parish for faith formation.  If you have a child who is getting ready to celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, this preparation is done at the parishes rather than in our religion classes at school.  This is common for consolidated schools, as it allows the families to celebrate with their whole parish community.  

Did you know that basketball sign-up is happening now?   The registration officially ends today, but if you have missed the information, please contact Athletic Director, Josh Nutter, as soon a possible.  We need to report the number of Carondelet teams to the league, and must have the final count right away.  

Mrs. Cope shared the following story after supervising recess Thursday:  The wind that was forecast was in full force at recess today as 5-8th grade students shared the playground.  The scout trailer had blown open. Gus and Noel not only shut the door, but found a way to secure it to keep it from blowing open again.  Seventh grade recyclers Scarlett and Josie made an extra effort to push the recycled paper lower into the bin beneath the cardboard to keep trash from blowing back out.  Later, when a few papers blew out anyway, Frank H. and Katie E. were quick to pick them up and secure them into the bin.  “See the problem; own the problem” is in action at Carondelet.  We have great students here!

Family Phone Book:  The new Family Phone Directories have arrived and were sent home with the students today.  Our thanks to all the 8th and 2nd Graders for submitting their creative artwork.  Our congratulations to Maisy Martin (8th grade) and Audrey Orr (2nd grade) whose artwork was chosen for the front and back covers of the phone book.  Each family has received 1 phone book.  Additional
phone books are available from Lenore or Jeanne for $5.00

Please note these additional changes, which occurred after the books went to print.   Add them to your book.

    Peter & Amy Campion
    5525 Vincent Ave S, Minneapolis, MN  55410
    1-802-291-3106
    Jack Campion, 1-107

    David Traxler II
    3321 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis, MN  55408
    612-824-8166
    David Traxler III, 4-102

    The Garcia’s phone number changed to 612-991-7262

    Teddy Madden is in room 2-207

God bless you this weekend—may we have a safe, spirit-filled Marathon Day.
Go Saints and go Gophers (Michigan this weekend—we may need a miracle)!

St. Thomas the Apostle Children's Choir:  THURSDAY MORNINGS, 9:00-9:30am, beginning October 6.  Children’s Choir is open to children from St. Thomas the Apostle parish, in grades 2-8.  The children from the Upper Campus are escorted to the bus which takes them to school.  2nd graders are escorted directly to school. Email Mary, mwerner@sta-mpls.org, to register.

The St. Thomas the Apostle Great Gathering 2011 is just a week away!  Check your child's BGE today for the book that details all the exciting events to sign up for and live auction items to buy.  Those of you who do not get a BGE anymore, click here for an electronic version of the book:  http://sta-mpls.org/book%20pdf.pdf. It's not too late to buy tickets either: http://www.sta-mpls.org/new/special/galaregistration.asp. If you'd like to attend but it's not in the budget, there are some donated tickets available!  Email mbwarmka@aol.com if you are interested.

The Academy of Holy Angels cross country team and coaches are hosting a Fun Run for area elementary and middle school students, and their parents, too, on Thursday, October 20, which is the first day of teacher convention break (aka MEA).  Please see the attached flyer for all the details.

Visitation School will present its 3rd annual conference to explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) on Saturday, October 29, from 8:30a.m. - 2:30p.m. This conference is geared towards Middle School girls and aims to boost girls' interest in taking STEM-related courses in high school, participating in STEM-related extracurricular activities, and ultimately pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. Additionally, the conference will build connections between professionals and mentors in STEM fields with young women.  Please see the attached brochure for more information and registration materials.


News Notes     September 23, 2011


From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

After our first four weeks of school I thought I would use this week’s News Notes to give you a report on some plans and priorities for this school year.  I started in July and feel that I have gained a big picture perspective with the help of our insightful Canonical Administrator, Fr. Dale Korogi; a talented and generous Board of Directors; a bright, dedicated faculty and support staff; your candid feedback from the latest parent survey, and most importantly—our great group of kids.  Input from all these sources have driven many of the decisions that were made at the end of Mrs. Faber’s tenure and have helped me prioritize as we move forward together.


We heard you parents when you expressed an interest in growing our arts program.  With the addition of Mrs. Lee, our new music teacher, we are again offering general music throughout middle school and have added some electives for 7th and 8th grade students with musical talents and interests.  It is possible for a 7th or 8th grader to have music everyday if they play in the band and choose an elective with Mrs. Lee!  We also added visual arts elective classes with Mr. Durben.  Students in his advanced art classes will have art 4 days a week, allowing them to more thoroughly explore their areas of gift and interest.  The tradition of the middle school musical will go on this year under the direction of Heather Dorsey.  We are looking at ways to expand the drama program into our electives next year.

Other insights from the parent survey have led us to work on improving our customer service this year.  We want all students and parents to feel you can approach any of us with your ideas or concerns.  We so appreciate the chance to work with your children everyday, and want you to know that we are here as your partners in the education of your children.  Please feel free to contact the teachers or me—email is the best method and all our addresses can be found on the website.  We are here for you.

We want our middle school core curriculum and experience to be the best it can be.  A writing workshop has been added for 7th and 8th graders to better prepare them for the rigors of high school.  Our algebra classes now incorporate the College Preparatory Math (CPM) curriculum, which stresses inquiry and higher level thinking skills.  We will offer a fifth grade move-up day experience for students next spring (and a parent move-up night) to better prepare students for the transition to middle school. We have an agreement with Holy Angels to allow Carondelet students the opportunity to play on their varsity sports teams, and we are also exploring ways to offer some zero hour classes or electives there.

Both faculty and parents recognize the need for challenging our high potential students in new and creative ways.  Currently our special services facilitator, Mary Wozniak, is working with the teachers to identify students who need to be challenged well beyond grade level, and we have dedicated part of Mrs. Lee’s schedule to helping teachers meet individual student’s needs.  We are also scheduling our professional development days to include work on assessment for learning and differentiating instruction.  We thank you for your patience as we develop a program for high potential students.

The students and faculty have requested some new technology, so we are working with donors to bring interactive whiteboards (IWB’s) to both campuses.  Four of them have already arrived and will be installed soon, and we are working with donors to keep adding more as well as to provide the necessary training for teachers.  The faculty is motivated to learn to use these instructional tools to their fullest potential. 

The Board of Directors and I recognize the need to find more sources of funding outside our school families and parishes.  We will be working to grow our alumni database and build relationships with new stakeholders.  We have also discussed producing an alumni newsletter and hosting an alumni event to celebrate the 20th year of our consolidation.  We feel there is a great potential for growing these relationships—both St. Thomas and Christ the King have solid reputations, and many alumni with great memories of their Catholic school days still live in the area.

I am confident that we will continue to build on the great tradition of high-quality Catholic education that began back with our two parish schools and continues at Carondelet today.  We have an excellent school—one we can be very proud of!  We know we can be even better, and I look forward to working with all of you for the benefit of our children.   It’s bound to be exciting!

God bless your families and go Gophers (taking on North Dakota State this weekend), and go Saints!

Stranger Than Fiction Book Club:  Please join us for our first meeting on Tuesday, September 27th at 9:08 in the Down Under Space.  The book this month is The Power of Six.  All middle schoolers are welcome.  If you have any questions, please talk to Mrs. Perrin or Ms. Huebsch or look on the school website.  Hope to see you there!

Standardized Tests:  On Monday, September 26th, students in grades 7 and 8 will begin taking the SAT 10 standardized test.  Please be sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a nutritious breakfast to be at his or her best while testing.  Students in grades 3-6 will begin testing the following week.

Alumni News:
National Merit Semifinalists: Congratulations to Carondelet alumni, Felix Tomlinson (DeLaSalle High School) and John McGinn (Benilde St. Margaret’s) who were named 2011 National Merit semifinalists. The recognition is based on their performance on PSAT tests they took during their junior year. Less than 1 percent of high school seniors nationwide qualify for this prestigious award. Way to go!

St. Thomas the Apostle Great Gathering 2011 Update:
There's still time to register for the October 8 Great Gathering at St. Thomas the Apostle!  This is a great night of fellowship and fun, and everyone is invited!  Enjoy the sounds of the South Side Big Band, tantalizing food (did someone say red velvet cupcakes?), and a cash bar.  You can sign up for fun events that take place over the next year like a Friday Night Fish Fry, Kids' Night Out Movie and Pizza in the lower campus cafeteria, or a Saints Tailgating Party.  Our Live Auction will feature two front row opportunities at the Carondelet Christmas Program, a condo in Sedona, Twins tickets and a Harmon Killebrew autographed bat, among other fantastic not-to-miss items.  To purchase your tickets today, click here: www.sta-mpls.org.   For up to the minute details, like us on Facebook.  If you'd like to attend but it's not in the budget, a few tickets have been donated.  Please contact mbwarmka@aol.com to inquire.

News Notes     September 16, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:

This week we celebrated our opening all school prayer service and it set a wonderful tone for the rest of our year.  Mr. Grabowski worked with the 8th graders to highlight our Golden Rule theme with Jesus’ great commandment to love one another.  The readings, prayers and songs were well chosen reminders of how God wants us to treat each other.  The lectors were so poised and prepared, they looked more like high schoolers than 8th graders!  It was exciting for me to see the entire student body together and to have both of our esteemed pastors taking part in the service.  A big thanks to the 8th graders and all who had a hand in making this a great kick-off to our year.

On Tuesday we had our first birthday lunch for Upper Campus September birthdays.  We had a beautifully decorated table, thanks to Mrs. Phillips, and it was nice to have a chance to chat and get to know the kids a little bit.  I look forward to continuing this throughout the year.  We will celebrate the June birthdays along with December, July with January, and August with February.

Mrs. Wintz had a good turnout for the first middle school Math Team meeting on Wednesday.  They discovered Monday is a better day for practice for the majority of the team, so future math team meetings will be Monday mornings at 9:00.

Lower Campus Parent Information Night will be next Thursday, the 22nd from 6:30 to 7:30.  Each teacher will give their presentation twice, once at 6:30 and again at 7:00 for families with more than one student at the Lower Campus.  Mrs. Knauff wll have a table of books available from Wild Rumpus as part of her birthday book club.  We look forward to seeing you there.


The Student Council members for this year are:
    President - Frankie Gormley
    Vice President - Jimmy Youngblut
    Secretary - Gus Forseth
    Treasurer - Patrick McCarthy
    8-11 rep - Paul Hupp & Jonathan Perzel
    8-14 rep - Maisy Martin & Will Czachor
    7-202 rep - Kelly Brakken & Nick Moeller
    7-204 rep - Emmy Bernier & Max Voda
    6-200 rep - Caroline Monchamp & Spencer Sande
    6-201 rep - Jacob Peterson & Claire Van Note
    5-103 rep - Abby O'Neil & Thor Holien
    5-108 rep - Keenan Conley & Natalie Swanson
The student council meets during lunch on Wednesdays.  Currently they are working on the games for the Marathon day of fun on Saturday, October 1.

Congratulations to 5th graders Keenan Conley and Kate Lickteig who organized a Kids Walk for Somalia and raised over $1200 for the American Refugee Committee.  Way to go girls!

The kindergarteners and 8th graders will meet as Special Friends for the first time on Wednesday, September 21 at 2:30 with the annual Olympic celebration.  Each 8th grader makes a nation’s flag for their kindergarten friend, they participate in an Olympic parade, complete with the Olympic theme song around the playground and then the games begin.  Olympic games include: shot put (ball throw), marathon run, discus (frisbee throw), 50 yard dash, long jump and hurdles.  This is a wonderful tradition and a good example of the unique opportunities in a K-8 model.  I love that the 8th graders have a chance to impress their primary teachers with their leadership skills, and feel they benefit as much from this partnership as the kindergarteners do!

The Marathon is off to a great start, and we have many students who have earned their bright tie-dyed t-shirt already with pledges of at least $100.  We are just over halfway to our goal of $70,000 and I hope we will blow the tops off the thermometers!  Some friendly competition has arisen between homerooms as they vie for top honors and a day of fun.  Mrs. Faber’s class already has the 100% participation and 100% earned t-shirts wrapped up.  They will qualify for their choice of an extra recess, a DQ treat, or an out of uniform pass.  Individual teachers are also offering incentives—so the excitement is building.  I look forward to my first Marathon with Carondelet.  It sounds like a great day for families, for community-building, and for making money for our excellent school!

Basketball registration for boys and girls in 4-8th grade is due Friday, September 30th.  The registration forms have been sent home and you can find the form on the athletics webpage as well.  We are in need of basketball coaches for grades 4-6 for both boys and girls.  If you are interested (or if you know someone that is interested), please indicate it on your child's registration form.

Birthday Book “Thank You”  from Mrs. Knauff:  A special thank you to the following students and their families for donating wonderful books to our libraries in honor of their birthdays:
    Kindergarteners –  Jack Certain, Sam Certain, Oliver Foley & August Petrusek
    
2nd Grader – Emerson Foley
    7th Grader – Katerina Papanikolopoulos

Waite House:  This year Carondelet Catholic School will continue our tradition of partnering with Waite House by conducting monthly food drives to benefit those people served by Waite House.  Please watch for more details regarding the September food drive.  Waite House is a part of Pillsbury United Communities, a nonprofit organization working to create choice, change and connection for people from all walks of life. The Waite House Food Shelf serves hundreds of individuals, providing 15 pounds of food per person each month.  Available to residents of the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis who live within the Waite House boundaries and who select this food shelf as their only provider, participants pick out their own food items.

Innisbrook Wrapping Paper Fundraiser Coming in mid-October: Innisbrook is a Home and School Association (HSA) fundraiser that directly supports the tradition of doing something special for all Carondelet staff members at Christmas. In addition to premium gift wrap, Innisbrook also offers gourmet foods and a variety of great gift items. Help give to our teachers by saving your Innisbrook purchases for our Carondelet boys and girls!

Congratulations to the following Carondelet graduates who earned academic letters (maintaining a 3.6667 GPA) at Holy Angels last year:  Claire Coulter, Margaret Farmer, Grace Forciea,  Madeline Helm, Grace Quiring, Caroline Riester, Jack Riester, and Jordan Shochatovitz.  They were honored at a reception at AHA on Wednesday. 

Saturday will be a big day at Christ the King as the new boilers will be installed.  The main church entrance will be blocked off, but the Virtus training and Mass will go on as scheduled.  Signs will be posted directing attendees to the available doors.  The gym will also be out of commission on Saturday during the installation.

Miami of Ohio comes to the U of M this Saturday.  Let’s hope the Gophers have a better showing than they did last week.  Ouch!

You have great kids, thanks for entrusting them to us.  God bless you and go Saints, go Gophers!

Kids Choir at CTK! Do you love to sing? Do you love music? Making new friends? Then come join the Youth Choirs at CTK! There is a Kid's Choir for grades 2-6 that meets Sunday mornings at 9 am, and then a Teen Ensemble for grades 7-12  that meets Sundays at 10:45-noon. We start September 25th. Call Michelle Porter with questions and to register 612-825-0350 or email at mgailp@msn.com

2011 Academy of Holy Angels Danceline Mini-Clinic for Grades K-8.
    Come spend time with the acclaimed Academy of Holy Angels Starliners!
    When: Saturday, October 8th, 8:30am-12:30pm (show at noon)
    Where: Academy of Holy Angels Gym, 6600 Nicollet Ave, Richfield
    What: Great, fun dance instruction, snack, T-shirt, picture of you!
    What else: Special performance for family/friends at 12:00 noon
    Wear: Comfortable clothing, and dance or tennis shoes
    Cost:  $38.00
Click here for more information and a registration form.
   
Minneapolis Public Schools will be hosting High School Open Houses on the following dates (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.):
    Southwest - Tues., Oct. 25
    Washburn - Thurs., Oct. 27
    North - Wed., Nov. 2

     Roosevelt - Wed., Nov. 9
    South - Thurs., Nov. 10
    Edison - Tues., Nov. 15
    Henry - Thurs., Nov.17

News Notes     September 9, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:
What a beautiful week—nice weather, happy and productive classrooms, and the glow of a near win for the Gophers over USC last weekend.  The teachers and I feel so blessed to be working with your children every day.  I’d like to share a few things I observed this week.
•    A first grade boy telling his teacher, “Mrs. Pote, I’ve had two good teachers—Mrs. Carney and you!”
•    4 eighth grade boys putting on a skit to promote the Marathon at each campus.  They were so comfortable with public speaking and had wonderful stage presence.  They held the attention of both of their audiences.
•    The 8th graders in Mr. Grabowski’s religion class were learning prayer forms and composing their own prayers.
•    A third grader gave Mrs. Rafferty a hand-made ribbon necklace that she was wearing proudly.
•    7th graders planning their insect projects with Mrs. Cope. (I must say I was secretly happy not to have to house an insect population during this unit of study.)
•    7th graders working with Mrs. Lee on reading music—in 10 minutes they went from sight reading the notes, to singing, to playing the xylophone and recorder.  She and I were both impressed with all they accomplished.

Thank You Notes:
To those of you who use your Target Redcard and designate Carondelet to receive your percent—THANK YOU!  We received a check for nearly $7000 from Target this week.  If you have thought about signing up for this program, but haven’t yet done it, please do.  It pays off in a big way.

Thanks to Trader Joe’s who donated sunflowers for a project in Mrs. Hera’s class.

Upcoming Events at Our Parishes:
On September 24th, Christ the King will host an informational session on the changes to the Mass that we will institute this Advent.  Fr. Michael Joncas will be the presenter, and he does a thorough job explaining the history, thought, prayer and work that went into these changes.

Christ the King will host their 34th Annual Steak and Salmon Fry on Saturday, September 24th.  Tickets are available after mass.

On October 8, St. Thomas will hold their Great Gathering and will be sending all school families an invitation.  Contact Mary Beth Stotts for more information.

Did You Know?

Specifics regarding the upcoming 3 – 8 Parent Information Night on Thursday, September 15th can be found by clicking here.

Carondelet Composts! Students and staff at both campuses are demonstrating environmental stewardship by separating food and non-recyclable paper to be composted. Families can help on the front end by packing lunches that contain minimal non-recyclable material. Check out our website here for tips on how to pack a litterless lunch and save money in the process. The environmental benefits of turning organic material into compost include:  reducing waste; using items for their best and highest use; compost replenishes depleted soils by replacing nutrients; reduces soil erosion, preventing storm water runoff contaminating our wetlands, lakes, and streams; and the composting process captures carbon dioxide for climate protection. Learn more on our website under Carondelet Cares!

We have a new writing curriculum being used in grades 1 through 8 called the Write Source.  Also the 7th and 8th graders have a Writing Workshop as a new required elective class.  They will be honing their skills in expository and creative writing that will be very useful as they move on to high school.

Fr. Dale will be doing a teaching Mass with the Upper Campus students on Wednesday, October 5th.  He will introduce the students to the changes we will experience during worship when we start using the revised Roman Missal this Advent.  Please join us for this 10:00 Mass.

Mrs. Wintz, our new 8th grade math teacher is calling all middle school math students to join the Math Team. The team will meet every Wednesday morning starting on September 14th and going until the middle of January from 9-9:45.  There are 5 math meets spaced out from October to the middle of January.  Interested students should come September 14th at 9:00am to room 210.  Mrs. Wintz will need parent volunteers to help with the driving to the meets.

The first Home and School meeting of the year will be on Monday, September 12 at 7:00 pm.  Please join us in the art room (lower level Upper Campus).  All are welcome.

The first Pizza lunch of the year will be this Monday, September 12.

All School Prayer Service: The first prayer service of the year will be at the Lower Campus on Wednesday, September 14. The 8th graders will lead. Please join us there at 10:15 if you are able.  All students will begin their day at the Lower Campus. Buses will drop off all students there.  Upper Campus students who walk or carpool should go directly to the Lower Campus that morning. 

We are sponsoring a Virtus training session on Saturday, September 17th from 9:00 – 12:00 in the Social Hall at the Upper Campus.  Anyone wishing to volunteer at school must attend a Virtus session.  Please go to www.virtus.org to register.
 
Back to Scouting for the Boy Scouts!  Troop 89 is the sponsored Boy Scout Troop of Christ the King, composed of neighborhood boys form all schools and religions.  Troop 89 has roughly 25 boys each year and hosts a strong outdoor program. This past summer events included a 50 mile Kayak through the Northern Tier National Scout Camp,  Summer Camp at Tomahawk Scout Camp in Wisconsin and a Troop Sponsored Canoe Trip to the Boundary Waters.

An open house on September 19, 7 pm is open to any family or boy interested in learning more about our program.

     Where:  Christ the King Social Hall Auditorium (Lower Level)
     When:   7:00-8:30 pm, Monday, September 19
     Who:     All boys in grades 6 or older who interested in Scouting.

Questions?? Contact Bill Gaines, Scoutmaster at 612.968.9235 or Joseph Schmidt, Committee Chair at 612.865.7035

Our 7th and 8th grade students are eligible to play on the sports teams at Holy Angels.  Girls hockey teams are forming now and Coach Dundore will be holding an Informational Meeting for all partner school students interested in playing girl’s hockey for this winter’s season at Holy Angels on Thursday, Sept. 15th @ 7 PM.  If anyone has questions, you may contact Coach Dundore at:  jdundore@starsmail.org.  Cross country runners are also welcome there this fall.

Friends of Waite House:  The Waite House Garden has been entered in the Nature’s Path Gardens for Good contest.  Winning gardens receive grants to plant, expand, and/or support community gardens.  The winners are decided by online voting.  Any person can vote once a day now through the end of September – so check it out, read the description, look at the great garden photos! Spread the word and vote often!  Thanks for your continued support of Waite House!

And Finally…
We look forward to seeing all parents of Upper Campus students on Thursday, September 15th.  3rd through 5th grade teachers will be presenting from 6:30 to 7:30 and the middle school will be from 7:30 to 8:30. 

Thank you for sharing your children with us, God bless you this weekend and go Gophers (home opener against New Mexico State) and go Saints!

News Notes September 2, 2011

From the Desk of Principal Sue Kerr:
What a great start to our school year—it is so wonderful to have the students with us! With apologies to David Letterman this is my top 7 list from the first week of school.
7. The shiny hallways and clean buildings (thanks to Jim, Sam and Ron at the Upper Campus and Andy and Matthew at the Lower Campus).
6. The handshakes I received from some boys at the lower campus as they got off the bus on the second day of school.
5. Seeing the kindergarteners marching purposefully in for their first day of school (they were so matter of fact, it was like they had been doing it for years!)
4. Meeting with the upper campus kids during their lunch periods on the first day.
3. Hearing the 4th graders tell me excitedly about their math lesson featuring M & M’s.
2. The 7th graders showing the 3rd graders around on their first day at the upper campus.
1. Going into classrooms to meet the kids at the lower campus and fielding important questions like “Do you have a dog?”

You have great kids! They are polite and positive and a pleasure to be with. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Some Changes and Clarifications:

We are celebrating birthdays in a new way this year. After much deliberation we decided to move away from treats and find other ways to recognize birthdays at school. The first is an out-of-uniform birthday pass, or half-birthday for the months of June, July, and August. Second, we will have “lunch with the principal”. September birthdays will be celebrated at the Upper Campus on Tuesday, September 13, and the Lower Campus on Tuesday the 27th. We’ll sit together, sing happy birthday and have a chance to chat. The teachers will also continue their classroom recognition of birthdays, just without the treats. We want birthdays to be fun celebrations for all, and we want to respect students with allergies, diabetes, and other health concerns.

There are new dates and times for our September Parent Information Nights. Upper Campus will be on Thursday, September 15 from 6:30 to 7:30 for grades 3 through 5, and 7:30 to 8:30 for middle school. Lower Campus will be on the following Thursday, September 22 from 6:30 to 7:30. This change to two nights will make it easier for families with children at both campuses and will allow more time to hear from each teacher.

Dismissal times have caused some confusion, and I am sorry if this has inconvenienced you this week. Our bus times from Minneapolis Public Schools determine when we dismiss. At the Lower Campus busses are scheduled to arrive at 4:20. The bell rings at 4:15 in order to get all the children where they are supposed to be by 4:20. At the Upper Campus our scheduled bus time is 4:30. The bells are staggered, ringing at 4:22 for 3rd and 4th; 4:24 for 5th and 8th and 4:26 for 6th and 7th. Again, this is to facilitate getting everyone out in an orderly way. Thank you for your patience as kinks get worked out these first couple weeks.

Volunteers needed to help serve pizza and Subway on Mondays and Thursdays! Thank you to the many parents who already signed-up using the forms in the August mailing. We still have many shifts to fill, and we need your help to ensure that pizza and Subway lunch run smoothly on both campuses.We are transitioning to using a web-based scheduling tool called VolunteerSpot. If you have not yet signed up to help or if you want to take on some additional shifts, please click this
link. Volunteer Spot is a super easy tool to use. It enables you to select the exact days you want to help and it generates reminder emails a couple days in advance. We are hoping to do away with paper sign-ups and do all pizza and Subway scheduling using VolunteerSpot. Check it out! If you have questions or comments, please contact Amy Conlon at amyconlon@comcast.net.
VolunteerSpot:
http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/1132345682290080057

Club Saint: If you haven’t had a chance to see the new and improved Club Saint room, please feel free to stop down. A gorgeous mural has been panted on the wall, donated by Deep Walls Painting, new carpet and hardwood floors have been laid, and a beautiful natural wood gazebo was added. A huge thanks to Sonia Mosch and her group of parent volunteers who made this transformation possible. It is a very warm, welcoming space for our kids!

Exciting News: We have ordered 4 interactive whiteboards (IWB’s), 2 for each campus. These are excellent instructional tools that motivate students and teachers alike. Over the summer we managed to raise $5400 toward a matching grant of $7600 from Promethean, maker of the ActivBoard IWB. The School Board of Directors donated $2000 out of their own pockets—many thanks for their generosity! The first whiteboards will be in Mrs. Martin’s kindergarten room, Mrs. Berger’s 1st grade, a middle school math classroom, and Mr. Nutter’s room. Mrs. Berg and Mrs. Wintz already have experience teaching with IWB’s and we will have training for all teachers interested in working with them. As soon as we have them up and running, we will invite you in to see them in action. We will have an on-going appeal to donors through out the year to get more IWB’s in our classrooms.

Marathon is coming! New parents, relax, we do not have to run 26 miles. The Marathon is a fundraiser with a long tradition in Minnesota non-public schools. At Carondelet it has become a chance for the kids to collect pledges for their walk, run, or bike ride from the Lower Campus, around Lake Harriet and back; as well as a chance to build community with a family fun day; and to serve our parishioners by raking leaves in their yards. More information will be coming home with your children on Wednesday, September 7. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, October 1st for this year’s Marathon. Thanks to Mary Kelly and the Marathon committee who have been meeting and planning over the summer to build a successful event!

Calendars: Watch for a hard copy of a monthly calendar of upcoming school events. We will send them home on the last Friday of the month for the following month. Our website calendar will be updated regularly, but we know some of you would like something to hang-up in the house for quick reference.

All School Prayer Sevice: The first prayer service of the year will be at the Lower Campus on Wednesday, September 14. The 8th graders will lead. Please join us there at 10:15 if you are able.

Board of Directors: We have 3 new members of our Board of Directors this year. Ann McGarry, mother of Conor in 6th grade and Lauren in 4th; Matt Voda, father of Maxwell in 7th grade, Sam in 5th, and Elena in 1st; and Jim Youngblut, with Jimmy in 8th grade and Mary in 5th. Mike Kelly, with Joseph in 4th, and Meghan in 2nd, is the Board President. I am so grateful to have a group of talented individuals who bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to the board.

Happy Birthday Carondelet! Did you know this year is the 20th anniversary of the consolidation? The Board will be working on building our alumni data base this year, so if you are a graduate or know graduates of St. Thomas, Christ the King, or Carondelet Catholic and would be willing to help with that effort, please contact me at
skerr@carondelet-mpls.org. Spread the word to neighbors, family and friends; we would love to hear from you.

Other News:
Carondelet 5th Graders, Keenan Conley and Kate Lickteig are organizing a “Kids Walk For Somalia” to raise funds and awareness for the people suffering during this time of famine in Somalia. Their event will be 5:15 on Friday, September 9 at Lake Harriet. They will meet at Bread and Pickle after school. For more information contact Keenan at 612.927.5517 or by email at
azconley@comcast.net.

Please pray for Arlene Pomije, Director of Catechesis at Christ The King Church, who is in hospice care as her cancer progressed rapidly over the past few weeks.

Back to Scouting for the Cub Scouts! Pack 73 is the sponsored Cub Scout Pack of Christ the King and is primarily made up of boys from Carondelet Catholic School. Pack 73 has roughly 60 boys each year and is one of the strongest in Minnesota. Cub scouts enjoy many fun outings such as the overnight camp at Ihduhapi, to classics such as the Pinewood Derby! Other events include the Halloween party/outing, Basecamp, Egg-Drop and canoe trip! September 12 is the first Pack meeting for the year.

Where: Christ the King Social Hall (Lower Level)
When: 7:00 pm, Monday, September 12
Who: Any boys in grades 1 through 5 interested in Cub Scouts or returning to Cub Scouts.
Questions?? Contact Scott Maves, Cubmaster at 952.220.2961 or Rod Helm, Committee Chair at 952.924.6246

The STARS are Out Tonight: Your family is invited to join the Academy of Holy Angels community for a star-powered event at the school on Friday, September 16.

We’re calling it: The STARS are Out Tonight

Come to AHA at 5 p.m.--prior to our 7 p.m. football game with Red Wing and enjoy a great party that will feature:
· Food--AHA football families will be grillin’!
· Music by AHA DJs
· Our famous Are you as Bright as a Star? quiz bowl game
· Volleyball
· Face paint
· Spirit wear give-aways
· A moonwalk, dunk tank, inflatable obstacle course, and more
Be sure to stay for some great football at 7 p.m.Prospective AHA students will be admitted to the game free with a paid adult.
Register at
www.academyofholyangels.org

9-11 Tribute Our Community Remembers: You and your children are invited to a wonderful evening of music on Sunday night, September 11, 2011 at 7:00pm at the Lake Harriet Band Shell. The concert is entitled, 9-11 Tribute Our Community Remembers. This is the 10th time this annual concert has been held in remembrance of a very tragic day in our nation’s history. An all volunteer, 60-piece orchestra and 70-voice chorus will perform the music. Our hosts again this year are Jason DeRusha and Esme Murphy from WCCO TV. This year before the concert begins there will have a special display for your family to see. Beginning at 5pm there will be representatives from local 1st responders such as police, fire and paramedics on hand to talk to and view their equipment. In addition we are inviting representatives from all the branches of the US Armed Forces with displays to view. Please come down early to meet and thank the personnel on hand before the concert starts. Consider making it a family afternoon at Lake Harriet. For more information, please click on this link:
9-11_Tribute_2011_childrens_invite Carondelet.pdf

Some of the music that will be played is: ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’, ‘America the Beautiful’ and 'Christine's Lullaby' which was written for the youngest victim of the 9-11 attacks Christine Hansen who was 2 years old. Click here to view more concert info: http://www.our911tribute.com/concert.htm

Finally—the Minnesota Golden Gopher’s open their football season at USC this weekend. You never know—we may get a little Coach Kill magic—anything can happen.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and safe travels if you are heading out of town.

God bless and go Gophers, go Saints!

Webaloo - Minneapolis website design
http://www.webaloo.com/