Parent Memo: February 12, 2021
PRINCIPAL’S CORNER:
Dear Parents,
Thank you to everyone who sent in canned or boxed foods for the food drive we had during Catholic Schools Week. We gathered a lot of food to donate to the local food bank to better help people during this time of need. God Bless.
In Service,
Ms. Laura
MASKS FOR COVID PREVENTION
National news services on Wednesday reported the latest data on masks and Covid 19 transmission. The story noted that double-masking OR wearing a well-fitted mask decreased the rate of disease transmission over 95%. Whereas double-masking would be difficult for the children, a properly fitted mask should be easy to obtain. Masks for children are on sale everywhere. Our teachers remind children countless times through the day to pull their masks up because they have fallen down their faces. This is not the child’s fault. It is the fault of a mask that is not properly sized to the child’s face. This decreases the child’s safety. Please check your child’s mask and make sure it fits snugly over the mouth and nose. Make sure it doesn’t fall off the nose when the child speaks. Buy a mask with adjustable ear loops so the mask can be tightened if it stretches with wear. We want to do everything in our power to protect the children. Proper masking is a big part of that protection.
RE-ENROLLMENT FOR 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR NOW OPEN
Re-enrollment packets were sent home with the kids last Friday (youngest child or only child in family). Please follow instructions in packet to save a place for your child for next year. If you are adding in a new child, indicate that on the form, and this will facilitate the application process for that child. Please note the re-enrollment deadlines in the packet. We are currently carrying waiting lists in almost all of our classes, so we will need to respond to those prospective parents once we reserve spaces for our returning families.
OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP RE-APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN
Between February 1st and March 1st is when families need to apply to get priority consideration for the Opportunity Scholarships. There is no benefit to being the first applicant on 2/1/ 2021 over an applicant from 2/5/2021. Actually, we have been asked not to apply February 1st to help keep the system from being overloaded. However, the March 1st deadline for priority consideration is a hard and fast deadline.
The three links below will be helpful for you. We encourage all families who are already receiving the grants to re-apply. There are more funds available than last year!
Overview of the Opportunity Scholarships
https://www.ncseaa.edu/k12/opportunity/
Apply for the Opportunity Scholarships
https://www.ncseaa.edu/k12/opportunity/interested-in-opportunity-scholarship/
FOR FAMILIES ALEADY BENEFITING FROM the Opportunity Scholarships
https://www.ncseaa.edu/k12/opportunity-current-scholarship-families/
FINANCIAL AID FOR 2021-2022
If you are requesting tuition assistance from the school/parish for the 2021-2022 school year (not the Opportunity Scholarship), please see the informational flyer at the end of the newsletter. Anyone applying for tuition assistance must be an active parishioner and complete the steps on the flyer.
AFRICAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (see flyer attached to newsletter)
On January 31, 2021, the beginning of Catholic Schools Week, the 2021-2022 application for the African American and Native American Heritage Tuition Assistance became available. Catholic school students (K-12th grade) of African American and Native American heritage in the Diocese of Raleigh are eligible to apply for tuition assistance. The assistance awards come from funds granted to the diocese from the Black and Indian Mission Office founded by the Catholic bishops of the United States.
- Allapplicants MUST complete a Catholic school enrollment application and a FACTS tuition assistance eligibility application before this application will be considered.
- Application Deadline:March 12, 2021
- Decision letters will be mailed to parents no later than May 21,2021
- Tuition awards are sent from the diocese to the applicant’sschool.
Application opens on January 31, 2021 and closes on March 12, 2021. Apply with the link below. If it doesn’t redirect, then copy and paste the link into your browser.
https://raldioc.configio.com/go/aamen-tuition-assistance
OPERATION RICE BOWL
Operation Rice Bowl is a donation drive that has been carried out in Catholic parishes and schools for years during Lent. It will begin soon in our parish and school. Donations to Rice Bowl help the hungry, both in our local community and beyond. 25% of the donations to Rice Bowl stay in our own community, and there is certainly a need during this time. Please use the link to donate to Rice Bowl online or see the flyer attached below about how to donate using the QR code. Thank you for your prayerful donation during the Lenten season.
https://crs.donordrive.com/participant/stpatnc
The SHAMROCK!
Below, you will see the reservation form to send your child a special message on a special day by painting the SHAM-ROCK. The kids always get the biggest kick out of it. Instructions below.
SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL
Please remember that we have a variety of programs where you can help the school without costing you anything above and beyond your normal budgeted purchases. These avenues often have to be renewed annually, however, so even if you already registered with them, please check the next time you are shopping and make sure your contributions are still registered to go to St. Pat’s.
- AMAZON SMILE – This is exactly the same as the regular Amazon site. I didn’t have to change a thing and I kept all my Prime benefits. Just log into smile.amazon.com instead of the regular amazon.com, enter your username and password that you always use and direct the site to donate to St Patrick Catholic Church (the school is listed under the church’s name). Then every time you shop on Amazon, you go to smile.amazon.com and do your regular shopping. Amazon donates a percentage of that back to the school. I use the “smile side” of Amazon for all of my purchases and literally, the only thing it costs me is to type in one more word by typing smile.amazon.com instead of just amazon.com. I think I can expend that much effort for the school to get donations. Anybody can do this. They don’t have to be part of the school. They just need to log on and connect their regular Amazon account to a Smile account, so spread the word far and wide to friends and relatives. Just realize that the school only receives the donations when people shop on the Smile side and not on the regular side. It doesn’t make any difference to the consumer, however.
- PUBLIX and HARRIS TEETER supermarkets – Both have school give back programs where a percentage of your shopping total will get donated to the school. Costs you nothing. The supermarkets do the donating. These need to be renewed annually, I believe, so even if you registered in the past, please drop by their customer service window the next time you shop and check that your purchases are still connected to our school.
Thank you for doing every little thing you can to help support our school.
BOXTOPS
Last call for Box Tops! We need to mail in clipped Box Tops before they expire – and many of them will next month. Please turn in the Box Tops to the airlock by Friday 2/26.
Not seeing the old Box Tops clips on your products? That’s because they’ve got a new look! Check for the Box Tops Labels that say “SCAN YOUR RECEIPT” and go to btfe.com or download the Box Tops for Education app on your phone for more information about earning cash for our school.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Feb 15 NO SCHOOL – President’s Day holiday
Feb 25 End of Trimester 2
Feb 26 Spirit Day