St. Agnes School
Family Newsletter
September 29, 2010

Mission Statement of Saint Agnes School
Saint Agnes Elementary School strives for excellence in providing a Catholic education that inspires and empowers our students to embrace the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ as compassionate and faithful Christians, who continue to pursue their spiritual journey, their highest academic potential, and stewardship to others.

Feasibility Study Reminder: Parents, please remember to read the documents and go online and complete the survey for the parish. This was sent out in an email and also in a general mailing. Everyone in a household 18 or over is asked to complete a survey. Thank you, Father Mark Keene

Spiritwear Day: Tomorrow will be our first Spiritwear Day for the new school year. Students may wear any Saint Agnes Spiritwear shirt with their regular uniform shorts/pants or gym uniform shorts.

Confirmation Enrollment Sunday: Eighth graders will formally enroll in their Confirmation preparation for St. Agnes Parish at the 9:30 Mass this Sunday.

Information Coming Home Today with your child:

• School picture forms
   
• Market Day flier
   
• Book Fair information and volunteer form for Family Night

Check those backpacks!!! Thanks.

Book Fair: Information is being sent home with your child today about the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. The date for the book fair is October 11-20. The Family Night will be Wednesday, October 13th from 6 - 8 pm. Help is needed for this event. Please look for the volunteer sheet being sent home today if you are willing to lend a hand. Please fill out the form and send it back to the school office by this Friday, October 1st. It would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

School Picture Day is Tuesday, October 12th. Look for order forms coming home today with every student and make your choices. Order forms should be turned in with payment to student’s homeroom teacher by Thursday, October 7th. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at office@saintagnes.com.

Fifth Grade Academic Team: There will be a short informational meeting for students and/or parents regarding the Fifth Grade Academic Team on Thursday, October 7th at 2:45 in the school library. Thanks. Mindy Sucher -- fifth grade coach.

Kindergarten Open House: It is already time to think about our Kindergarten Open House for children who want to come to St. Agnes School for kindergarten next school year! The Open House will be on October 21st at 6:30 pm. We have a list of parishioners who have children ready for kindergarten, but if you know anyone who would like to be invited to view our kindergarten and get information about our school, send us their name and address and we will invite them.

Seventh and Eighth Grade MathCounts: MathCounts is an accelerated math program that is available to your 7th and 8th grade students. It is NOT tutoring but a very challenging math Program offered by the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers. Tim Pangallo, Tom Arnold and Tiffany Pangallo will again be coaching any interested students. The will have class/practice on Monday evenings starting October 11 through February. For the first several weeks the class time will be 7:30-9 pm, then in early November we plan to go 6:30-9 pm.
     If your child is interested in attending, please let me know via an e-mail to jpangallo@fuse.net.  I will need your child's name, parent names, home address, grade, home and ALL cell numbers for contact AND ALL E-MAIL addresses you would like information sent to regarding the program and weekly information.
Prior to the first meeting I will send out an e-mail with more information but our current plan is to have a short meeting at 7:30 on October 11 for students and parents to introduce the coaches/teachers and let parents ask any questions they may have. After that short meeting, the children will stay until 9 pm on that night.
     Please let us know before October 7 if your child is interested joining the MathCounts Team so that we may prepare for the entire group on October 11.
     There is a $15 snack/drink/supply fee for each child. Snacks and drinks are provided each week. If anyone has any questions please feel free to e-mail me. THANKS, Jeanne Pangallo ( jpangallo@fuse.net)

Board of Education News:

     St. Agnes Parish and School are committed to providing a quality Catholic education to all. We recognize and appreciate the sacrifice school families make sending children to St. Agnes and we offer a tuition assistance program to help make Catholic education more affordable. The new tuition policy enacted by the Board of Education requires any family late on August or September tuition payments to communicate their need and/or a payment plan to Parish Business Manager Bob Lynch. Letter to those families will go out soon. The full text of the tuition policy is available under Wednesday Newsletters on the school web site.
     This is a reminder to enter your Family Service Hours on the school web site. You receive 20-hours for activities like coaching, leadership of a school organization, or troop leaders; but if you earn more than 20-hours the Board encourages you to note all you earn. If you have a question, email through the web site or contact Dorothy Hafertepen. Thank you.

PTO News:

Attention! Spiritwear One Day Sale! This Sunday October 3rd, after the 9:30 and 11:30 masses we will be selling spiritwear in Murphy Hall during Donut Sunday. Everything will be on sale! We need to make room for our new spiritwear order.

Market Day: It’s not too late!! The deadline for Market Day orders is tomorrow 9/30! There are some really nice October promotions going on:
*Free 1lb Mandarin Citrus Blend with any $40 purchase
*Free 2lbs Ground Beef with any ONLINE purchase of $80: Promo Code OCTBONUS
*New Customers take $5 off any order of $25 or more ONLINE: Promo Code NEWFIVE
*Frequent Buyer Program: Make two purchases of $40 between September and November.
Then, place a third order of $40 in December to receive a FREE Market Basket at your December Sale.
Order forms can be sent through Kids Mail to Heather Mast, c/o Aidan Mast-2W. Pick Up will be on 10/5 at 5:30 in the school cafeteria. Order online at www.marketday.com and get access to special Web Clearance only items. It’s a great way to save on some of your favorite products.

October Eat Out Nights: Mark your calendars now for the October Eat Out Nights.

• Skyline - Monday, October 4th, 5:00pm to 9:00pm - Click here for coupons.
   
• Barleycorn's - Tuesday, October 12th, 11:00am to 2:30am - Click here for coupons. This does include carry out. Coupons are absolutely necessary for Barleycorn’s.
   
• Sub Station II - Wednesday, October 20th, 5:00pm to 8:00pm.

“Trunk-or-Treat”: Join us for the first ever St. Agnes School “Trunk or Treat.” Some families have already signed up at last year’s Big Blue Bash. Gather your car in the parking lot, open up the trunk or back of your vehicle, and decorate it in your best Halloween flair! All kids will come dressed in costume and will "trunk or treat" as you pass out candy from your vehicle. There will be prizes for the best decorated trunk, a costume parade, and a few games for the kids. Don’t miss out on this fun event on Sunday, October 24 from 4 to 6pm in the school parking lot. All school children are welcome along with preschoolers and toddlers too. Price: $10 per car. We still have lots of space available. If you would like to sign-up, please send your name and money ASAP to the school office to the attention of Kelly Sparks. Thanks, Kelly Sparks

BIG BLUE BASH 2011!! It's time to start thinking about the Big Blue Bash (March 5, 2011!). This is our school's largest fundraiser, raising around $45,000 yearly! We will be having a brainstorming meeting on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 at 7pm in the school library! We are moving the event to a new venue within the McHale’s Family, which offers us some additional space, one floor layout and increased capacity. If you are interested in being involved in planning this event, or if you'd like to hear more of what the event is about and offer suggestions, come join us!!!

Boosters News:

Basketball Registration: The St. Agnes booster’s field basketball teams for the boys and girls currently enrolled at St. Agnes Grade School in grades three to eight. There will be no in person registration this year everything will be done by mail. Attached you will find a copy of the Basketball Registration Form, which must be completed and returned with a check for $75.00/child for grades 3-8. We must receive a separate form for each child participating; however, we will accept one check per family. The family max is $180.00. Registration forms must be received by TOMORROW, September 30th to guarantee your child(ren) a spot on a team. If accepted, an additional fee of $10.00/child will be charged for all registrations received after September 30th. We are currently looking for a parent or parents to run the instructional basketball program for children in K-2nd grades. Anyone interested please call Steve Ruwe at 578-0801.

Smiles & Miles 5K Honoring Maria Schaffstein Thanks YOU! Once again, the St. Agnes community shines at supporting our parish families. Thank you to all who participated in some way in the Smiles & Miles 5K honoring Maria Schaffstein this past Sunday. The beautiful weather and overwhelming support from our St. Agnes families helped contribute to our success. We had over 940 runners and walkers in addition to countless workers throughout the day. Thank you to all who came out to walk, run, work and help pull this large event off without a problem.
     Huge thanks to some very special sponsors, Cut and Color (PJ Berling) and Granite World (Joe Nienaber) for their support.
     The proceeds from the race will go to St. Agnes and will be used in her honor. Maria’s passions were family, friends, athletics and education. Maria was a talented athlete, a gifted student and most of all she was a loving, giving and gracious person who lived life to its fullest. Her family continues to be overwhelmed and humbled by the support they receive.

Message from Deacon Joe Cleves: St. Elizabeth Hospital no longer notifies the parish if one of our parishioners is admitted to the hospital. If a family member or someone you know is admitted to St. Elizabeth or any hospital for that matter, and you want us to visit the person, please notify the rectory by calling 431-1802. This is the only way we will know when a parishioner is admitted to a hospital. Thank you, Deacon Joe Cleves

Russo Meals: A Care Calendar has been set up and is very simple to use. If you would like to make a meal for the Russo family, go to www.carecalendar.org and in the yellow box that asks for the calendar number, enter 41457. The security code is 5038. Once you log on, a calendar should pop up with all of the necessary information. You just click on the day that you would like to send a meal and follow the prompts. A cooler is placed on their porch and meals should be delivered between 5:30 and 6:30. For questions, please email Linda Shelton at jlshelton@zoomtown.com.  

Adult Flu Vaccinations Available: Flu vaccinations will be available for adults at Saint Agnes on Sunday, October 10th. This vaccination program is for adults. There might be some Saint Agnes parents who want to volunteer to help with this program, and in the process be awarded service hours. Our parish vaccinators need to be registered with Saint Elizabeth Healthcare. If you are not already registered, please go to Saint Elizabeth Healthcare, under “Services” go to “Health Ministries,” and on the “Health Ministries” page you will find a hyperlink about signing up as a Saint Elizabeth volunteer. That link takes you to a registration form. You may be able to access this form immediately by following this link: http://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=665628640.  If you are eligible, available and willing to administer the vaccine, please contact Bob Gerth at the parish offices (431-1802 or at bgerth@saintagnes.com). Thank you. Bob Gerth

Attention 6th Grade Girls: Notre Dame Academy is having a 6th grade scavenger hunt on Friday, October 22nd, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. The cost is FREE, but they are asking for a donation of two canned goods (All food collected will be donated to Be-Con). The afternoon will include fun, friends, pizza and drinks. Reservation form with a parent’s signature is required. Questions…859-261-4300 Thank you! Sr. Mary Paul Ann and Sr. Mary Rachel

Attention all Kentucky and Ohio Volleyball Athletes Pre-K thru 12th Grade: Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC) based at Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky. is excited to announce Pre-Season Tune Up Clinics and Tryout information. Receive core skill instruction, correction and all the secrets for a successful Try-Out. NKYVC will also provide measurements & screening for their NEW physical training program - VERY COOL! NKYVC provides volleyball opportunities for ALL skill levels. Please click here for all the details of our upcoming 2011 season including information about our Season Kick-Off Meeting that will be held on Thursday, October 7th, 2010 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Marquis Banquet Center at Town & Country, Wilder, KY. Learn about all the NEW & Exciting Opportunities for the 2011 Club Volleyball Season from the most comprehensive youth training program in Greater Cincinnati for Girls and Boys! Visit our website at www.nkyvc.com  or email nkyvc@fuse.net for further information or if you have any questions.

Around Our School

Did you know…in first grade last week we were making birthday cards for Father Keene? One little girl was working away on her card, cutting, gluing, coloring, getting extra paper and working really hard. When she was finished she asked for a bag to put the pieces in and said that this was going with her card. Upon further investigation, I discovered she was making Father a paper doll priest! What wonderful imaginations and kind hearts we have!

Did you know…in Social Studies the seventh graders did a great job designing and awarding certificates to the explorers of the new world?

Did you know…Jr. High Science students have been watching the tropics since school began? The Atlantic side is very active with some sort of activity every day. Ask the students why the Atlantic is active and not the Pacific.

Did you know…on Monday the second graders went over to St. Joseph Heights to visit the Sisters of Notre Dame? They had a tour of their huge house and had a chance to meet some of the Sisters. The service project for the second graders this school year is visiting the Sisters in the Infirmary at St. Joseph Heights. They plan to visit again.

Did you know… our school is a sea of red today as we celebrate with the Cincinnati Reds!!!