Living, Loving, and Learning Our Faith

Important Upcoming Dates

March 2: Ash Wednesday-Mass at 8:30AM
March 2: Class Spelling Bee
March 3: Thursday, regular Mass 8:30AM
March 4: No School-MID WINTER BREAK
March 9: Grade Band Spelling Bees
March 10: Middle School to Musical at St. Cath’s
March 14: No school for students/Professional Learning
March 21 FORWARD Testing Begins (State Required Assessment)
March 24: 3rd Quarter Ends
March 25: No school for students/Teacher Professional Learning
March 28: 4th Quarter Begins
March 29: Report Card Review
March 30: Report Cards SENT HOME
April 15-April 22 EASTER BREAK
April 25: Classes Resume
April 29: Forward Testing Window Closes

From the Desk of Dr. Sue!

Greetings,

What a busy week. Please check out St. Rita's Elementary School Racine FB page. We have several very exciting videos to share with you. So much has been happening it is difficult to capture it all. We are winding down February but looking forward to an awesome March. Perhaps, warmer weather on the way. We can only be so hopeful.

The Lenten Season begins this Wednesday, Ash Wednesday. Take time to reflect on the readings and continue to find ways to pray that will make one think about our lives and how to be closer and deeper into the mysteries of our Lord Jesus Christ. One way to do this is by praying the Stations of the Cross. Our students will be doing this as well over the next 4 Fridays. This is a great way to immerse oneself in prayer to Jesus by following Him through the 14 stations to Calvary.

BIG NEWS-SPELLING BEE!

We are excited to share that Siena is running a 1-8 grade spelling bee this year! As a result of this recent decision, St. Rita’s will be hosting two events internally that will result in a total of 9 students moving to the final competition schedule on Mar 24, 2022 3:00pm at St. Catherine’s High School.

It is very important to note that the Sripps Spelling Bee Word List document is located in this newsletter and is being sent via KSwift for you and your child’s convenience. It is in a PDF format and very important to note the grade level bands for your child’s studying purposes. Words within each band will be given randomly at all levels of the competition.

It is advisable that students study as each student will have an opportunity to participate in a “classroom” spelling bee competition first. This event will take place on March 2 in each classroom. The classroom teacher will select an appropriate time that fits in their schedule. From there the first, second and third place individuals will move to a grade level band for a school wide spelling bee competition on March 9. The top three (first, second and third w/an alternative in case of an absence) from the grade level band will move to the final round at St. Catherine’s on March 24. Participants are welcome to invite guests to the final spelling bee competition at St. Catherine’s only.

The grade level bands are:

The first, second and third place class winners go into the following

Grade Level Bands

One Bee (1st and 2nd grades are combined)
- Six students compete against each other
  - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and alternate (only if 1, 2, or 3 cannot go)
  - Study One Bee Words from the PDF

Two Bee (3rd, 4th, 5th Grades)
- 9 students compete against each other
  - 1st, 2nd, 3rd and alternate (only if 1, 2 or 3 cannot go)
  - Study Two Bee Words from the PDF

Three Bee (6th, 7th, 8th Grades)
- 9 students compete against each other
  - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, alternate (only if 1, 2, or 3 cannot go)
  - Study Three Bee Words from the PDF

*Key Dates

March 2 Classroom wide Spelling Bee
March 9 Grade Level Band Spelling Bee
March 9 Parent Letter sent home with students who are moving onto the final round at St. Catherine's.
March 24 Siena Spelling Bee at St. Catherine’s High School (3:00PM).

March 24 Event Details

March 24 at 3:00PM St. Catherine’s auditorium.
Total of 9 students from St. Rita’s will move to this final round.
Participants are welcome to bring guests to St. Catherine’s.
Students are required to provide their own transportation to and from the event.

You will need this link to access the spelling words.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1okmF1qIlQGnztGHlymQ2hMmFI8yUiMyI/view?usp=sharing

Again, do not forget to check out our videos posted on FB this weekend. Enjoy!

Blessings,

Dr. Sue

St. Rita's Mission

Living Loving and Learning Our Faith: Living as members of our Catholic Faith Community; Loving God and all of His creation; Learning for our future on Earth and Heaven.

Out of Uniform Day: Thursday, March 3

Your choice:

Spirit Wear
Class Color T-Shirts
Royal Ambassadors T-shirts
Grade 8 VB game T-shirts
Comfy Sweatshirts

We kindly ask that you remember that March 3 is a Thursday. Students attend Mass on Thursday. Therefore, for bottoms/tops, Mass expectations are that they wear jeans, sport pants, khaki’s, skirts/skorts; however no midriffs, tights, leggings or jeggings out of respect for the celebration of Mass.

STEM-INTEGRATED LEARNING

St Rita's is excited to initiate its collaboration with Gateway Industrial Design Fab Lab.

Students will have an opportunity to experience problem based collaborative projects in every discipline, as they explore automation, robots, advanced manufacturing and 3D printing.

Just as technology has changed our world, so will it transform their education as St. Rita's learns to apply the concepts of STEM to develop Integrated Learning, and help students learn of the amazing career opportunities for their futures. We will be working closely with 5-8 grade classes.

Meet Coach Bodi Our New Counselor

This week we welcomed our new counselor Coach Bodi. She is coming from John XXlll Educational Center and previously 26 years with RUSD. She is passionate about mindfulness, meditative prayer, restorative justice, and extracurricular activities. The students were excited to meet her and we are excited to have her.

5th Grade

Hello St. Rita Families! 5th grade has been off to a great start for 2022. We began the year by reading a piece of historical fiction titled, Fever 1793. The students loved this book because of the suspenseful, riveting plot. They learned about the yellow fever plague in Philadelphia, a decade after the Revolutionary War.

We have recently begun our investigation of the structure of matter. Students will examine pictures of atoms and molecules and discuss their relationships. Our study will culminate with students constructing a model of a molecule.

In religion, we are preparing for the Lenten season. Talk to your child about what he/she may give up in observance of this season. Giving up something for Lent is a powerful way for students to understand the sacrifices of Jesus in the desert and to unite our heart with his in prayer.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Hello St. Rita families!

We have been staying very busy and active in class! We recently completed our basketball units with our middle school and elementary grades. We had a lot of fun working on our fundamental skills of dribbling, passing, shooting and gameplay.

We also played a game called rollerball with K-5 through 4th grade which incorporates dodging, jumping, rolling a ball, and teamwork. K-5 through 2nd have also been working on their throwing skills using pool noodles.

K-3 and K-4 just finished up playing a game called Mario tag.

Stay warm and enjoy the rest of February!

Mr. Schwaiger

4K's Walk Around the School

Students went for a walk and noticed the branches on the trees had small icicles hanging from them. They found a small branch on the ground to bring indoors to observe it.

Observing with the Light Table

Students predicted what would happen to the icicles. They used their observational skills to look at the ice melt on the light table.

Altar Servers & Mass

This week's Altar Servers were Fernando A. and Javier A. Grade 7th led this week's Mass.

Title 1 Services

If your child receives services such as reading via RUSD Title 1 support, please read:

Racine Mayor Cory Mason signed an executive order suspending enforcement of the city’s face mask ordinance and announced that a full sunset of the ordinance will be sent to the Common Council for a vote at their meeting next Tuesday, March 1. Racine Unified School District still has the mask requirement in place and therefore, we will still require that our staff, and students being serviced, continue to wear one. RUSD maybe announcing changes early next week. Stay tuned.

Children’s Liturgy and Family Resources

Jesus’ words this week in the gospel can be hard to read. ”Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” Luke 6:27-28. While they sound difficult on paper, to live them out is often even more challenging. Thankfully, at the end of the gospel Jesus gives us some tips as to how we can succeed. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:36-37. We are all sinners and have all hurt others. At times we may need to ask God for the desire to be merciful and forgive, remembering that He loves our enemies as much as He loves us. We can look to David’s example in the first reading in extending mercy to Saul and Jesus’ example in forgiving those who crucified him.

Bringing the Gospel Home:

*Talk with your family about a time when you did something wrong and were forgiven. How did it feel? Can you remember that feeling when it is your turn to forgive?

*Read Enemy Pie by Derek Munson Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

*Say a special prayer for someone who has hurt you. Ask God to give you the grace to forgive them.

2022-23 Tuition Contracts Deadline is March 5th

Tuition contracts for the 2022-23 school year will be available mid-February with a March 5, 2022 deadline. Watch your email for your invitation to sign into Enrollment Management to sign your new contract(s) for the upcoming school year.

If you need help with your login or password, please contact Kory Borek, Director of Admissions &. Financial Aid at either (262) 833-5517 or kborek@sienacatholicschools.org. Para preguntas o ayuda traduciendo a español, por favor contacte a Cintia Sanchez al 262-753-1471.

Racine Parental Choice Program Opens Up Again March 1st

The Racine Parental Choice Program re-enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is now open.

Current Families who did not meet the deadline should reapply and submit paperwork as soon as possible. The application will re-open on March 1st

https://sms.dpi.wi.gov/ChoiceParent/

Paperwork can be emailed to Mrs. Lopez at mlopez@sienacatholicschools.org, dropped off at the schools main office, or at Siena's Admissions office on Villa Street.

Questions? Contact your school office or the Siena Financial Aid office at (262) 812-0155. Para preguntas o ayuda traduciendo a español, por favor contacte a Cintia Sanchez al (262) 753-1471.

Siena Catholic Schools Financial Aid Program

Beginning February 1, 2022 all current and prospective families may apply for financial aid for the 2022-23 school year. Your 2021 income information will be needed to apply. Siena Schools covers the $35 application fee for you!

If you have questions or concerns about the financial aid process, contact Kory Borek, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, by calling (262) 833-5517 or by email at kborek@sienacatholicschools.org.

St. Rita School

If you missed our Open House, you can view our video using the link https://youtu.be/_Ao8KjNlknQ.

Royal Parent School Association

Welcome to St. Rita

BOX TOPS APP

Help us earn money for our school by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. Plus, use my referral code JENN7A81 when you sign up and you’ll get 40 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 02/14/2022, while supplies last. Use the link below to download the Box Tops app:

https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=JENN7A81

SCRIP

While we cannot have SCRIP in person like we used to, we CAN participate in SCRIP online with E-gift card delivery, which is instant and completely contact-free.

You can ONLY purchase E-gift cards (there are over 750 vendors to choose from, including Amazon, Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Walmart, Starbucks, etc.!)
A percentage of that purchase (2-17%) "gives back" as a rebate:
- 50% of the rebate goes toward your family's tuition bill, student activity fees, spirit wear or a check at the end of the school year
- 50% of the rebate directly supports St. Rita’s.

Click on the link to Learn more : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UAVWKOFQDJwnlFhUO_3CJ3Z7OUaaGPS8/view?usp=sharing

Looking for Gently Used Books

Lent is not far away and the library is starting to collect for our annual Used Book Sale. If you have any gently used books you would like to donate please just drop them off inside the airlock doors at school. If you have a larger donation and would like help, please email or Facebook me.

Thank you,

Mrs. Schotz

fschotz@sienacatholicschools.org

Siena is looking for Substitutes

If you or you know someone interested in becoming a substitute, please contact bschurman@sienacatholicschools.org for more information.

Facebook

Be sure to check out our Facebook page and all the great videos we post! We need you to "LIKE" us!

https://www.facebook.com/stritaschoolracine

Catholic Social Responsibility Guidebook

Please see the newly released Catholic Social Responsibility Guidebook from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee under the direction of Dr. Kathleen Cepelka. It is available at https://www.archmil.org/Education/Catholic-Social-Responsibility.htm.