Living, Loving, and Learning Our Faith

Unlike the other Holidays that pertain to gift sharing, Thanksgiving is focused on giving thanks for what we have and to recognize the special people in our lives and even though those we lost.

The best part is having time to catch up with loved ones sitting around the table, chatting with friends, relatives, watching football and sharing stories. It is also a time where the meal is one that sends amazing smells throughout the house. Who doesn’t love eating those favorites recipes!

Whether you are near or far from your loved ones, remember there are so many ways to share just how much you care by giving a smile, sending a note, phone call or just by saying, "Thank you."

However you spend your Thanksgiving, be sure to show your gratitude to those that you are most grateful for in your life. On behalf of St. Rita's, I am grateful that we are able to teach your amazing child(ren). We are grateful for their spirit and love as each share their unique gifts with us.

Wishing you all the gift of faith and the blessing of hope this Thanksgiving Season.

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.

*Due to next week being short, we will not have a Newsletter

5th Grade

Greetings from 5th grade! We have been very busy.

Currently, we are reading the award winning novel, Maniac Magee. Our daily book study involves vocabulary words, comprehension questions, and a summary for every chapter.

This week we are also writing the first draft of our informative essay; which we will publish.

In mathematics, we are learning the standard multiplication algorithm.

In religion, we continue to focus on the 7 sacraments.

In social studies, we are becoming experts at Cornell Note-taking based on our textbook of the Americas.

And in science, we are studying the 3 states of matter. We're very excited to conduct our first experiment when we return from Thanksgiving Break.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Hello St. Rita families!

We have been staying very active in class playing a game called can ball with 5th through 8th grade. It is a high intensity aerobic game that incorporates passing, running, shooting a ball, tagging and teamwork!

Students in the elementary grades have been doing a lot of running as well playing tag games like stuck in the mud and color tag.

Students in the primary grades have been continuing to work on locomotor movements like hopping, skipping and galloping while they are incorporated into simple movement games.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Schwaiger

6th-8th Grade Social Studies and Religion

6th Grade—So far in World history, 6th grade has worked through Pre-History, the civilizations of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, The Israelites, Ancient India, Ancient Greece and have just started Ancient Rome. Our Roman unit will take us through the end of November when we will turn our attentions to the birth of two major world religions: Christianity & Islam. This will continue our exploration of world religions and philosophies. So far, we have gone over Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Jainism, Taoism and Legalism with views at the ancient religions of the civilizations we have covered as well.

In religion, we are going over our ‘Faith in Action’ series. This is an exploration of stories in the Bible such as Abraham & Sarah, Mary and Joseph, the Eucharist, Moses and the Exodus, Jacob and the Covenant, Noah and the Flood and a variety of Saints and their stories. The units we have covered are Revelation and Response, Sacrifice and Promise, Covenant and Commitment and Piety and Prayer. As we approach the Christmas Holiday and season of Advent, we will shift our attention to the birth of Christ and the Advent prayer services.

7th Grade—So far in Geography, 7th grade has been exploring the geography and cultures of the different continents of the world. We started by looking at Pre-History and the actual definition of a culture and all the attributes that come together to form ones culture. After completing that unit, we started with the geography, history and cultures of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Recently, we started our Unit on the continent of South America. We will study this in three regions: Brazil, the Andes and the Tropical North. We will continue this unit until the first week of December, when we will shift our focus to Europe.

In religion, 7th grade is going through the story of Jesus throughout the year through our Faith in Action series. So far, they have covered these units: the Birth of the Savior, God with us, Jesus: Son of God and Son of Man, The Prayer of Jesus as well as a variety of saints and other biblical people and their stories. Each of the units we have covered have explored a series of stories from the New Testament and the life of Christ. As we approach the Christmas Holiday and season of Advent, we will shift our attention to the birth of Christ and the Advent prayer services.

8th Grade—So far in US History, we have gone through the story of America, starting all the way back with the journey of man to the Americas, the First Nations and the Age of Exploration. We then went over the colonization of America by Europeans, the Revolutionary War, the Birth of our Nation and the Constitution. Since then, we focused on the development of America, through our first 10 Presidents. Currently, we are finishing the Mexican-American war which will wrap up this unit. Once completed, we will turn our attention to the lead up to and the fighting of the Civil War as well as Reconstruction.

In religion, 8th grade is looking at the history of the Roman Catholic Church through our Faith in Action series. So far, they have gone through these units in class—Apostolic: Founded on the Apostles, Holy: Jesus Christ in the Sacraments, Catholic: Open & Respectful of All and One: Praying for Unity. Each of the units we have covered have explored a series of stories from the Bible’s new and old testaments focusing on the early development of the Church. They have also done a saint study project, each selecting a saint to research. As we approach the Christmas Holiday and season of Advent, we will shift our attention to the birth of Christ and the Advent prayer services.

4th Grade's “Turkey in Disguise” Projects

Bean Bags & Technology in 4K

Learning Our Faith

We are living, loving and learning our faith! Our two newest Altar Servers are Ella Pierce and Fernando Acosta. Our weekly Masses are helping us all grow in our Faith.

St. Monica's

3K/4K and Grade 5 and Middle School Community Service Projects

Our 3K/4K is sponsoring a sock drive for the residents at St. Monica's. Please consider donating New Men & Women socks, any type of socks work even Holiday/Christmas socks from the Dollar store. Fuzzies and all...So go for it! We love community service projects that support providing service through giving!

Your child may drop off any donation in the main office.

In addition grade 5 and Middle School classes will be working on Christmas cards for the residents and staff. They will be making at least 180 Christmas cards! Spreading the message of the birth of our Lord.

Holiday Donations Sign Up For Halo Coming Soon

St. Rita Spirit Wear

St. Rita's had three extra Sport Tek Jackets (not fleece jackets) size Youth Small (YS). Each jacket sells for $35.

If you are interested, please contact Ms. Lopez at 262-639-3333.

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

Wheelchair

DONATION-Wheelchair

St. Rita's Elementary school is in need of a wheelchair. We are looking for a used or new wheelchair, if anyone is interested in donating one to the school, please reach out to Ms. Lopez (262-639-3333).

Advent Missions

Advent is just around the corner!

On December 1, 2021, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is hosting 18 simultaneous Advent preached parish missions – 14 English, 3 Spanish and 1 ASL. Held from 7 pm to 8:30 pm, these Advent evening prayer services will feature excellent preaching and beautiful music. This is a wonderful opportunity to help our Catholic Community enter into the Advent season.

You may find more information here: https://www.archmil.org/Advent-Missions.

NEW WINTER ATHLETIC MASK UPDATE VIA Siena Catholic Schools of Racine

Mask Policy for Indoor Winter Athletics

The following will be in place for all Siena schools:

While practicing or playing, masks are not required by players or coaches.
Fans and other persons NOT performing must wear masks while playing at any Siena/City of Racine gym. This includes athletes on the bench, concession workers, those selling tickets, fans, trainers, event management personnel. The game/PA announcer is exempt from wearing a mask.
When traveling to Kenosha, Milwaukee, or other areas, teams will follow the protocols in place at the host school/gym.

Should conditions warrant, this policy can be amended. Amendments will be communicated to athletic directors, principals, coaches, and families directly.

Siena Catholic Schools

St. Catherine's High School Incoming 9th Grade Scholarships Now Available!

Considering attending St. Catherine's for high school? Want awards to mention on college applications? Why not check out the scholarships available for incoming 9th graders! There are 11 scholarships, some with multiple winners, available for 8th graders to apply for before starting 9th grade in the fall.

The process is easy! Using the cover sheet, read over the short description of each scholarship. For the ones you would like to learn more about, click on the website link to open the scholarship requirements. All scholarship applications need to have the first page of the cover sheet attached to it and the requested documents. The last date to turn in scholarship applications is Thursday, December 16, 2021.

Questions? Email Kory Borek, Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, at kborek@sienacatholicschools.org.

K3 and K4 Early Bird Registration

Siena Catholic Schools K3 and K4 Early Bird Registration Begins October 1, 2021! Click this form to request information about the enrollment process:

https://forms.gle/Bqy6e32D2VTnSzGTA

For more information, contact the Siena Admissions Office at (262) 812-0155

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.

COVID NOTICE

Hello Siena families,

As we committed to do throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have needed to respond to the changing needs of our students, families, and staff and want to ensure the safety and health of all. Our leadership team recently met in order to reassess Siena’s COVID communication procedures to ensure that families are well informed.

In addition to communicating directly with families who experience a positive case and those who are considered close contacts, a letter will now be shared with the entire school community when we are made aware of a positive case in our building. We hope that this additional layer of information, along with our COVID dashboard, will help families keep a closer eye on any symptoms your child(ren) might be experiencing.

Please regularly monitor your children for COVID symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, headaches, diarrhea, etc. If anyone becomes symptomatic, please keep them home and call your healthcare provider to inquire about testing.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school communities safe!

Sincerely,

Kimberly Gardner

Chief Advancement Officer

Siena Catholic Schools of Racine

COVID REMINDERS

We do want to ensure that each child that comes to school is healthy and ready to learn.

Please review the following:

If a vaccinated person is a close contact of a positive individual, they do not have to quarantine UNLESS they have symptoms.
Masked individuals who are close contacts of a positive individual who was also masked during interactions will not have to quarantine per the CDC.
Quarantined individuals will be able to get tested six (6) days after exposure and will be allowed to return seven days after exposure with a negative test UNLESS the County Health Department shares something different with the family.
Students who TEST POSITIVE or who are considered close contacts will receive a letter from the school.
Siena Catholic Schools also has a dashboard updated weekly showing where numbers are by school.
IF your child is in quarantine and/or positive, please work with your child's teacher regarding classwork.

Inclement weather on school days

In rainy or subzero weather, students need appropriate outerwear. Students are outdoors several times a day. A hooded sweatshirt for example is not as adequate as a winter jacket. If the outdoor temperature is 10 degrees or below, wind chill factor of “zero” degrees or below, hard rain or blizzard like conditions, recess is most likely to be indoors. The decision is up to the Principal and at times in collaboration with supervisory staff. While outside, if any playground supervisor determines that the weather is too severe for outdoor recess (as our weather changes often), the outdoor supervisor is authorized to bring the students inside.

Weather Related School Closing

As we approach the cooler weather, we know in WI things can change quickly, in the event RUSD closes schools for weather, Siena follows suit. No one with the possible exception of maintenance is expected to report to work. Staff will receive an all users communication from Siena/Ms. Kimberly Gardner.

Current Handbook Language we will follow:

The school will be closed including CARES supervision, on days when Racine Unified School District is closed. Closings are announced over local radio (WISN 1130, WTMJ 620 / 94.5, WRJN 1400), television (FOX 6, TMJ4, CBS58, WISN 12), and their media websites. Parents will not hear our school name announced on public media unless there are specific circumstances affecting only our school or only all Catholic schools.

School closings will be announced in the media as Siena Catholic Schools of Racine. Staff will receive an email from Ms. Kimberly Gardner. Rarely used, but if a delayed start is announced for Racine Unified School District, St. Rita will follow the same schedule and delay the start to the day.

Parents may use their own discretion to decide whether to keep their children at home for safety. This absences will be recorded as an excused absence.

GRADE LEVEL MESSAGES FROM OUR CAMPUS MINISTER

ALL GRADE LEVELS:

NOT YET A PARISH MEMBER? ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER AT ONE OF OUR AMAZING CATHOLIC PARISHES? Siena Catholic Schools is proud to have an amazing church community supporting us and our children. The Racine Catholic Church Community would like to extend an invitation to come to mass and become a member of one of our parishes. Click on the following link to see a list of parishes, mass times, and contact information.

All Grade Levels

KINDERGARTEN-1ST GRADES:

Have you thought about Baptism for your 0-7 year old child? Wondering who you should talk to? Click on the following link to see the contact person for your parish.

K-1st Grade

2ND GRADE:

Second Grader not yet Baptized, but you would like to have them join their class for FIRST COMMUNION AND RECONCILIATION this year?

2nd Grade

3RD-7TH GRADES:

It is NEVER too late to receive Sacraments. Families interested in having their child receive Baptism, Reconciliation, or Communion should contact their parish and begin the discussion on how to receive sacraments. We are here to help you through this process and answer any questions you may have.

3rd-7th Grades

8TH-12TH GRADES:

Interested in Confirmation for your child? Confirmation is a 3 year program here in Racine for families not going to St. Catherine’s and a 1 year program for those who attend St. Catherine’s. Please contact your parish (see below) for more information on the process and sign up. It is NEVER TOO LATE to receive sacraments, even if your child is not yet Baptized, we welcome you to contact us. We look forward to being part of your faith journey.

8th-12th Grades

If you have any questions, contact Ms. Kristen Dahlgren at (262) 955-8183.