Parent Newsletter

Friday, February 8, 2008

 

Advisory Council Meeting   There will be an Advisory Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:30pm at the St. Wendelin Parish Center.

 

Valentine’s Day Celebrations   The students in grades K - 8 will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Thursday, February 14, 2008 with a $1 dress down day.  The dress for the day will consist of jeans (no ripped jeans) or sweatpants, gym shoes, and t-shirts/sweatshirts that are mostly white, pink or red. This type of attire may be worn with exception to decals, sayings or symbols that go against the Catholic nature of our school. As always Mr. Grgurich reserves the right to deem what is inappropriate. There will be absolutely no face/body painting; hair coloring, NO HOODED SWEATSHIRTS, tank/crop tops etc. or shorts/Capri’s allowed. If you are not sure of something you might wear would be considered inappropriate call the school office for clarification. Keep it fun and simple. Reminder phone calls will be made to parents for inappropriate clothing. All money collected will be donated to the American Heart Association. All classroom parties will take place in the afternoon and will be organized by the homeroom teacher. Students are encouraged to bring Valentines for everyone in their class. Candy treats can be brought in too but are optional.

 

Early Dismissal / Faculty Meeting/ Dress Down Day   There will be an early dismissal on Friday, February 15, 2008 at 12:15pm in order for the faculty to have a meeting and professional development in-service. Also, we will follow our early dismissal snack procedure with snacks being sold by the HOPE Team Members in the school cafeteria beginning at 10:25am. The items being sold are not mandatory to buy; you always have the option of sending in a snack with your child(ren). $1.50 should be more than enough money to purchase a snack and drink. Students will have a casual dress down for the early dismissal. Casual means: jeans (no ripped jeans), sweatpants, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and gym shoes (NO shorts or Capri pants). Any shirt (absolutely NO sleeveless shirts/tank tops/crop tops/ HOODED SWEATSHIRTS/etc.) may be worn with exception to inappropriate decals, sayings or symbols that go against the Catholic nature of our school. As always Mr. Grgurich reserves the right to deem what is inappropriate. If you are not sure of something you might wear would be considered inappropriate call the school office for clarification.

 

2008 Magic Club   This year’s Magic Club Reverse Raffle and Dinner Dance will take place on Saturday, February 16, 2008 in the Wendel Inn. Doors open at 5pm. Dinner is served at 6:30pm. Applications and final payment were due to the school office by Monday, February 4, 2008.   If you have not yet made your final payment do this ASAP, don’t miss out on this fun evening it can be quite profitable. For more information call Janet Grgurich at (412) 885 - 1752 to answer any questions you might have concerning this exciting evening.

 

2008 Magic Club “Basket of Cheer” Donations    Every year the Basket of Cheer at the Magic Club seems to get bigger and better each time. It has become one of the most popular items to be auctioned that evening. Once again we are looking for donations in order to create that basket. If you received a bottle for Christmas that you know you won’t use or a case/six pack of beer we will gladly accept your contribution. You may drop off your donation marked Magic Club in the school office between the hours of 7:30am & 3:30pm, Monday – Friday. We have had very few donations let’s keep up the tradition of making this basket the biggest and best. 

 

2007 – 2008 Fundraising Goal   For all inquiring minds, as stated at the Thursday, September 6, 2007 Curriculum Night this year’s fundraising goal is $80,000.00. During that same meeting I outlined the number of fundraising events that were planned for this year with the option of adding more events should we come up short. At all Advisory Council meetings a treasurer’s report is made. Anyone who is interested in seeing those reports may stop by the school office. Each month after our advisory council meeting the minutes to that particular meeting are available for your viewing as well. At the present time the Advisory Council has paid $51, 000.00 back to the school budget as of Friday, February 8, 2008. This would put us about $2,300.00 behind our target of $80,000.00. In order to keep close to our target MAGIC Club needs to be a huge success. I am hopeful that every family has purchased a membership to show their overwhelming support for Catholic education. As always I am very interested in new fundraising ideas and new volunteers to help with our various events. I look forward to seeing you at the MAGIC Club. Once again thank you for your continued support of Bishop McDowell Regional School and Catholic education.

 

2008 Eighth Grade Athletic Recognition Night   On Friday, February 22, 2008 at the Hough Building (formerly St. Wendelin School Gym) beginning at 6pm there will be a ceremony before the girls and boys varsity basketball games where all 8th grade student athletes will be recognized for their efforts and dedication to the Bishop McDowell Regional School Sports Program. Congratulations to our 8^th grade students on an enjoyable season and thank you again for doing an outstanding job in representing Bishop McDowell Regional School and our sports program.

 

Bishop McDowell Regional School Preschool/Kindergarten Rainbows and Butterflies Story Hour   On Wednesday, February 20^th the Bishop McDowell Regional School Rainbows and Butterflies Story Hour will be held at 6:30pm in the Kindergarten Room of the Bishop McDowell Regional School building. Mrs. Dern our first grade teacher will host this hour of storytelling and activities for Preschool and Kindergarten age children. This program will be open to Preschool and Kindergarten students of Bishop McDowell Regional School as well as children of St. Albert the Great, St. Basil, and St. Wendelin Parishes of Preschool and Kindergarten age. For any other questions call the school office at (412) 884 – 5676 and ask for Mr. Grgurich.

 

Bishop McDowell Regional School 50/50 Easter Holiday Raffle Fundraiser   So far we have sold 168 tickets and the winner will receive $84.00. We need to continue to build the winnings so it will be enticing to others as we continue to sell.  Get your tickets and money in we have 8 ½ more weeks to sell. Call the school office if you need more tickets and don’t forget to check the school website for updates throughout the week. The winning ticket will be picked on Tuesday, March 18, 2008. Remember the incentive for the school community to sell 1,500 tickets will allow our children in grades K – 8 to have 4 dress down days in a row beginning on Tuesday, March 25^th – Friday, March 28^th. If each family sells 25 tickets ($1 per ticket) we will have met our goal of 1,500 tickets plus. Only 1,332 more tickets to sell!

 

2008 Sarris Easter Candy Sale   Our Sarris Easter Candy Sale concludes today on Friday, February 8, 2008. Make sure to take a moment to complete and return your Master Sheet (white and yellow sheets) and payment to the school office ASAP. Checks should be made payable to Bishop McDowell School. The delivery to the school and pick-up is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, 2008 from 2:30pm - 4pm and 6pm – 7pm in the school office. If you have any questions concerning your Sarris Easter Candy order you may contact Kathy Moeslein at (412) 885 – 5628.

 

February Market Day Pick-up   Pick-up is scheduled for Wednesday, February 13, 2008 from 6pm - 7pm in the Cafeteria of the school building. As always we are in need of volunteers to help on Market Day, consider giving 1or 2-hours. If you would like to volunteer or have any questions about Market Day call the school office at (412) 884 – 5676.

 

Easter Bunny Lunch   The Easter Bunny is hopping to Bishop McDowell Regional School on Saturday, March 8, 2008 from 12pm – 3pm in the School Cafeteria. Come join us for lunch and an afternoon of exciting activities that include: making crafts, making ice cream sundaes, hunting for Easter eggs, raffles, door prizes and of course a visit with the Easter Bunny. Tickets are $8 a person and must be purchased by Wednesday, March 5, 2008. Make checks payable to: Bishop McDowell School. If you have any questions or need more information, contact the school office at (412) 884 – 5676. Make sure to get you tickets early so you won’t miss out.

 

Pizza Hut Fundraiser Night   On Thursday, February 14, 2008 at the Brentwood Towne Center Pizza Hut, Bishop McDowell Regional School will have a fundraiser day. Just bring the coupon that was attached with last week’s newsletter to Pizza Hut that night and Pizza Hut will donate 20% of your purchase to the school. As an added bonus---buy your Pizza Hut certificates at the school or after mass and use them to pay for your pizza that night, you will get credit towards your tuition as well! See you on Thursday, February 14^th and come hungry!!

 

Mother’s Day Brunch   Calling all Mom’s! Why fight the crowds at other eating establishments this Mother’s Day when you can enjoy your family and friends in the welcoming surroundings of our very own school. On Sunday, May 11, 2008 Bishop McDowell Regional School is sponsoring a Mother’s Day Brunch from 8:30am – 1pm in the School Cafeteria. The cost for Adults is $10 and $5 for Children (12 and under). Brunch will include sausage, bacon, toast, muffins, orange juice, apple juice, coffee, tea, made to order omelets by Chef Steve-O and more. Pre-order by Thursday, May 1^st and save $1.00 per ticket purchased. We look forward to seeing you for brunch.

 

Giant Eagle Apples for the Students Program   The Giant Eagle Apples for the Students Program began on Sunday October 28, 2007 and continues until Saturday, March 15, 2008. Again this year, you will not need to send in receipts from Giant Eagle. All you need to do is be a registered supporter. If you registered last year, you are automatically registered for this year. If you are not a registered supporter, it’s very easy to become one. Take a moment to register. You will need your Giant Eagle Advantage card handy then call 1-800-474-4777. An automated system will talk you through the process. Our school ID number is 1022. You can also register by visiting the Giant Eagle website at www.gianteagle.com and click on the Apples for Students icon. Each time registered supporters shop at Giant Eagle using their Giant Eagle Advantage Card; they earn points for our school. These points are redeemed for great educational tools. The points are automatically credited to our school through the Giant Eagle Advantage Card.

 

Catholic Schools Week Lunch with a Friend Thank You   Thank you to the following volunteers for helping with serving during our Lunch with a Friend event: Joy Baker, Karen Cook, Carol Hodermarsky, Cathy Kwiatkowski, and Lori McCann. Your help is greatly appreciated

 

Private School Aid Service (PSAS) All parents applying to either the Bishop’s Education Fund or Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship Fund must have their need assessed by Private School Aid Service (PSAS), a company from Rocky River, Ohio which specializes in evaluating need for families attending private elementary or secondary schools. Parents will submit a copy of their federal tax return (and state tax return if applying to SOS), a completed 2007 – 2008 “Student Aid Form” (with their pastor’s signature if applying to BEF) and a $20 administrative fee. “Student Aid Forms” are due to PSAS no later than Friday, March 14, 2008. Incomplete forms will be returned. The signed “Student Aid Form” must be sent directly to PSAS as indicated in the instructions on the form itself. Photocopied forms will not be accepted by PSAS. PSAS forms are available now; just contact Mrs. Schumacher in the school office at (412) 884 – 5676 for a PSAS form. Do not hesitate in applying for tuition assistance before you know it Friday, March 14^th will have come and gone.

 

Tuition Assistance Available for the 2008 – 2009 Academic Year   Re- registration for Grades K – 8 is fast approaching for the 2008 – 2009 academic year and this is just a reminder of two sources of tuition assistance, the Bishop’s Education Fund (BEF) and Scholastic Opportunities Scholarship (SOS), available for families with students in Catholic Schools. The Bishop’s Education Fund is awarded on the basis of financial need. In order to be eligible the applicants must be practicing Catholics registered in a parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, attend one of the diocesan, parish, or regional schools and have demonstrated financial need. The Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship (SOS) Tuition Assistance Program was developed when the General Assembly of Pennsylvania established Act 4 in May of 2001. This law provided for the establishment of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) to be administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Act 4 authorizes the award of tax credits to businesses that make contributions to the scholarship organizations. Therefore the Diocese of Pittsburgh has formed the Scholastic Opportunity Scholarship program (SOS) to receive tax credit gifts. The funds available through the SOS program will be awarded to families based solely on economic eligibility requirements. Students who are Pennsylvania residents enrolled in any Catholic school in the Diocese of Pittsburgh are eligible. Applicants can be Catholic or non- Catholic. The funds will be sent in the students name to the school where the child is enrolled. You must complete the 2008 – 2009 PSAS form to be considered for either of these tuition assistance programs.

 

Catholic Schools Week Scholastic Book Fair Thank You   Thank you to the volunteers who helped to make our Catholic Schools Week Book Fair a big success! Specifically we would like to thank Carol Hodermarsky, Jane Kosco, Diane Lyle, Marie Mankos, Lori McCann, Ms. Wolfe and Diane Zielinski. Thank you especially to Laurie Robison for coordinating our Book Fair event. These terrific people made a big difference.

 

Catholic Schools Week Spaghetti Dinner / Family BINGO “Thank You”   Thank you to the members of our Bishop McDowell Regional School community who volunteered to help make our Catholic Schools Week Spaghetti Dinner a BIG success. At last count we cooked 30 lbs. of spaghetti, made 360 Stuffed Shells and 398 Meatballs, cooked 8 gallons of sauce, we went through 15 lbs. of salad, 12 dozen rolls, 12 loaves of bread, devoured 2 sheet cakes and served over 150 people. We thank everyone for their support and Congratulations to Bishop McDowell Regional School for putting on a magnificent Spaghetti Dinner. Compliments go to our chef Steve Dziadyk. Thank you to our volunteer’s and set up & clean up crew’s that helped with both the Dinner and BINGO: Joy and Greg Baker, Karen and David Cook, Donna Dziadyk, Gail Facchiano, Janet Grgurich, Judy Lee, Marie Mankos, Mike Taylor, Mrs. Murawski, Ms. Wolfe, Ralph Ziemski, Lil Moskala and Mrs. DeFrancesco. Also a HUGE thank you goes out to a number of students from our student body and alum that helped to bus tables, clean dishes and do other jobs throughout the evening. All in all we made over $900.00 (spaghetti dinner) and most importantly everyone who ate and volunteered thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Once again thank you for your continued support of Bishop McDowell Regional School and Catholic education.

 

Catholic Schools Week Thank You   Thank you to the Marketing and Communications Committee, the Activities Committee, parent volunteers, volunteers and faculty for providing a week full of fun activities during our 2008 Catholic School Week celebration. All of our events were notable and included: the Brunch (over 75 people served), Spaghetti Dinner (over 150 people served), Michael the Circus Artist and CLO assemblies, Lunch with a Friend (over 100 people served), Donuts with Dad (13 dozen of donuts devoured), Reading Night (60 students attended), Ice Cream Social (100 bowls of ice cream served), Pep Assembly, and Family BINGO (over 100 people attended). As usual all of these events were supported well by our school families, extended families and friends. We look forward to planning next year’s celebration! Thanks again for your continued support of Catholic education and Bishop McDowell Regional School.