Parent Newsletter

Friday, October 26, 2007

 

Physical Education Schedule Change for Grades K – 3   Next week there will be a Physical Education Schedule Change for students in Grades K – 3 due to the Halloween HarvestFest activity on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Physical Education classes for Grades K – 3 will be held on Friday, November 2, 2007. Make a note of this change for grades K – 3 and remember this change is only for next week. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

 

2007 - 2008 Gym Uniform Policy   Reminder starting on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 & Thursday, November 15, 2007 begins the policy of no gym uniform shorts being worn to school until April 2008.  Remind your child(ren) that when this policy goes into effect sweatpants must be worn to school on their specified gym day of either Wednesday (Gym day K – 3) or Thursday (Gym day 4 - 8). Please refer to the school gym uniform dress code or contact Mr. Grgurich for clarification.

 

Tuition Reminder Alert!   For those families who chose option 1, 2 or 3 some of your accounts are past due by as many as 3 or 4 months. Meeting your tuition payment on a timely basis is crucial to the school paying their bills on time. Take time to call Mrs. Schumacher @ 412 – 884 – 5676 to make sure your tuition account is up to date. Should delinquency continue to be an issue, further steps will be taken to resolve the problem. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your continued support of Bishop McDowell Regional School.

 

Bishop McDowell MAGIC Classic Basketball Tournament Workers Schedule   A reminder from the Bishop McDowell Regional School Athletic Association, the Door and Concession Stand Workers Schedule for the MAGIC Classic Tournament beginning the first weekend in November will be sent home early next week to all families whose children participate in the sports program. This is a major fundraiser for the Athletic Association and your cooperation in working your scheduled shifts is greatly appreciated. If you are unable to work a shift because of a previous engagement or a work related conflict take time to review the schedule to make arrangements to change with another family. Should you misplace your schedule it can always be found on the Bishop McDowell Regional School website or call the school office to request another copy. Also, look for the clock and score book schedule to be coming home next week. For any further questions about the workers schedule you may contact Lori Greening, Vice President at (412) 207 – 7581.

 

Black and Orange Dress Down   On Wednesday, October 31, 2007 the administration, faculty, staff and students in PreK – 8 will have a jeans, gym shoe and Black and Orange Dress Down Day. Any shirt (absolutely no sleeveless shirts / crop tops / tank tops etc.) that is black, orange or black and orange may be worn with exception to GORY decals, sayings or symbols that go against the Catholic nature of our school. Halloween t-shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters are acceptable. As always Mr. Grgurich reserves the right to deem what is appropriate and what is not. If you are not sure if something you might wear would be considered inappropriate call the school office. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Keep it fun and simple. Reminder phone calls will be made to parents in order to resolve any inappropriate clothing issues.

 

Annual Bishop McDowell Regional School Harvest Fest   On Wednesday, October 31, 2007, the students in Preschool through 8^th grade will participate in the Annual Bishop McDowell Regional School Harvest Fest following lunch. The children will celebrate by participating in a costume parade; visiting the pumpkin patch, playing games, going on a hayride and much more. The students in Preschool - 8 will be permitted to dress in costumes after lunch and parade about the building and school grounds for parents and faculty beginning at approximately 12pm. (No Weapons of Any Kind/Gory face masks/inappropriate costumes will be permitted to be worn. If you are not sure if something would be considered a weapon/gory or inappropriate call the school office. Students are not permitted to wear their costume to school.) All Harvest Fest activities will begin around 12:15pm and finish at 2pm this will allow time for volunteer clean up, change of costumes if students would like and some down time for both the students and faculty before dismissal. *Reminder all Preschool students are welcome to come to the Harvest Festival.  On this day lunch in the cafeteria will be served at 11am in order for everyone to have enough time to change into their costume and be ready for the parade at approximately 12pm.

 

Teacher Clerical Day / General Election Day   The students in Grades Pre K – 8 will have the day off on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. The faculty will use this day for clerical work and final preparations for report cards and conferences. Also a reminder this is General Election Day, get out and vote it’s your civic duty.

 

All Saints Day Mass    On Thursday, November 1, 2007 the students in Grades K - 8 will be attending the All Saints Day Mass at 9am in the St. Albert the Great Church.  The administration and faculty will minister at this mass.

 

Activities Committee Meeting   There will be an Activities Committee Meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 9am in Cafeteria of the school building. One topic of discussion will be planning the Trim-a-Tree Event scheduled for Friday, December 7, 2007 beginning at 7pm in the school building. More details about this event will be posted in a future newsletter. All committee members are asked to make this meeting a priority and as usual new members are always welcome.

 

Pizza Hut Fund Raiser Night   On Thursday, November 8, 2007 at the Brentwood Towne Center Pizza Hut 11am – 9pm, Bishop McDowell Regional School will have a fund raiser day. Eat in and carry out orders for lunch and dinner are eligible on November 8^th and a portion of the sales goes to our school. Just bring the attached coupons WITH TODAY’S NEWSLETTER to Pizza Hut that day 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! Reminder this fundraiser begins at lunchtime and includes dinner. See you on Thursday, November 8^th and come hungry!!!

 

2007 Parent / Teacher Conferences   Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Grades K – 3 (4pm - 8pm), and Thursday November 8, 2007 Grades 4 – 8 (4pm - 8pm). Be on time for your conference and be considerate of others by keeping with your scheduled ten- minute conference. The students in Grades K – 3 will have the day off on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 and the students Grades 4 – 8 will have the day off on Thursday, November 8, 2007. Your scheduled conference forms will be coming home on Thursday, November 1, 2007. Make sure to check your child’s bookbag.

 

November Market Day Pick Up   All November Market Day Orders can be picked up from 6pm - 7pm in the cafeteria of the school building on Wednesday, November 7, 2007. Volunteers to help unpack the truck and set the food on the tables are always welcome. If you have any further questions call the school office at (412) 884 - 5676.

 

2008 Magic Club   Reverse Raffle and Dinner Dance- Applications for memberships are now being accepted.  Memberships make great Thank You gifts or Christmas presents.  Why not show your appreciation for that special someone you just don’t know what to buy. Go get a jump on your holiday shopping.  See the attached application with this week’s newsletter or call Janet Grgurich (412) 885-1752 with any other questions about this exciting evening. Don’t be left out, it’s a great evening and can be quite profitable. Mark your calendar the Magic Club event is scheduled for Saturday, February 16, 2008.

 

Last Call for November Monthly Lottery Tickets   Just a reminder all monthly lottery ticket stubs and money are due back to Judy Parente ASAP including unsold tickets.  The cost of each lottery ticket is $5 and is based on the evening drawing of the 3-digit number. If you are able to sell more tickets contact Judy Parente at (412) 884 - 8478 and additional tickets will be sent home.

 

Giant Eagle Apples for the Students Program   The Giant Eagle Apples for the Students Program begins 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.

 

Multiple Intelligence Activity Period   As part of the school goals for the 2007 – 2008 academic year. Bishop McDowell Regional School will continue to promote the Multiple Intelligence Theory throughout the 2007 – 2008 academic year. Once again the Multiple Intelligence Activity Period will occur 8 times during the year. Each activity period will focus on one of the Intelligences which will include a group assembly followed by a number of interactive activities for the students to participate in. On Tuesday, October 30, 2007 our first activity period will focus on the Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence. For all inquiring minds this intelligence focuses on those students that learn through bodily/tactile movement (our athletes). 

 

Protecting God’s Children   St. Albert the Great Parish is sponsoring a Protecting God’s Children course on Thursday November 15, 2007 from 7pm – 10pm. This course will be held in the Bishop McDowell Regional School building in the Cafeteria. Protecting God’s Children is a requirement by the diocese for any adult working with children. There is no fee. If you have not attended one of these sessions in the past then parents, parent volunteers and volunteer coaches should make every effort to attend. For more information and to reserve your place call the St. Albert the Great Religious Education Office at (412) 884 – 8282. You must register for this course in order to reserve enough materials for each participant.

 

2007 Sarris Christmas Candy Sale   Thursday, October 18, 2007, began our Sarris Christmas Candy Sale. Take a few minutes to look over the Sarris Candy brochure and start asking family, friends, and neighbors to make a purchase. Our Sarris Christmas Candy sale will conclude on Friday, November 9, 2007. At that time return your completed Master Sheet (white and yellow sheets) and payment. Checks should be made payable to Bishop McDowell School. The delivery to the school and pick-up is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12, 2007 from 2:30pm - 4pm and 6pm – 7pm in the school office. If you have any question concerning the Sarris Christmas Candy fundraiser you may contact Kathy Moeslein at (412) 885 – 5628. Before you know it Christmas will be here so get out and Sell, Sell, Sell!!!

 

Home Interior Christmas Candle Sale   Our Home Interior Candle fundraiser began on Friday, October 5^th and continues until Friday, November 9, 2007. The top 2 sellers will be awarded $25.00 gift cards from Toys R Us. The top selling class will receive a pizza party. Everyone loves candles and this fundraiser can be a huge success with the help of everyone. With Christmas approaching, candles would make a nice gift. The candles will be delivered in time for Christmas. The pick-up date is scheduled for Friday, November 30, 2007. Contact Wendy Wrubleski at (412) 881-1688 for further information. In the school office you will find sample sizes and some of the new fragrances.

 

Last Call Bishop McDowell Regional School Cookie Dough & Pies Fundraiser   On Friday, October 12, 2007 Bishop McDowell Regional School kicked-off the Savory Homemade Cookie Dough & Ashley Farms Gourmet Pies sale. The Savory Homemade Cookie Dough comes in 11 flavors - $12.00 per tub and the Ashley Farms Gourmet Pies come in 9 different varieties at various prices. The sale ended on Friday, October 26, 2007. Delivery and pick up is scheduled for Monday, November 19, 2007. Just in time for the holidays!!

 

Eighth Grade Visit to Seton-La Salle Catholic High School   On Friday, November 2, 2007 our eighth grade students will visit Seton - La Salle Catholic High School. The eighth grade students will leave the school at 8:20am and return some time after 1:15pm. Seton-La Salle Catholic High School has made arrangements for bus transportation to and from Bishop McDowell Regional School. When the students arrive they will meet in the auditorium for a description of the day that will include touring the building, meeting with athletic coaches and activity moderators, and treated to lunch in the cafeteria. This is a great orientation and opportunity for our eighth grade students to preview High School life. Parents of eighth grade students are welcome to attend if they wish (transportation for parents will not be provided).

 

Bishop McDowell Regional School Magic Classic Tournament   Each family registered for the sports program is being asked to contribute either $5.00 or five $1.00 lottery tickets to be used for the Lottery Tree which will be part of the Chinese Auction during the Magic Classic Tournament. Your help is greatly appreciated. In the meantime we look forward to seeing at the tournament.

 

2007 Calendar Party Thank You   In our 6^th year of success for our Calendar Party we must once again sent out a Great Big Thank You to everyone who contributed to this event: to the hostesses for their incredible table displays; to the school families and faculty members who donated auction and door prize items; to the businesses for their contributions; and everyone who attended. It takes everyone to create such an outstanding event but a Special Thank You goes to; Carol Hodermarsky for pounding the pavement and getting so many of the prizes donated and to Cindy Schumacher who really saw this fundraiser through from beginning to end, we could not have done it with out you! The administration and school community would like to personally thank and congratulate everyone for putting together another successful event. This event raised $7,300.00. Just a reminder it’s never too early to begin thinking about next year.