GREETINGS!

Dear St. Rita's Families,

First, I extend my thanks to those of you who attended our recent Spring Concert. Your presence and support made the evening truly special for our students, and it was a delight to see our talented students showcase their hard work and dedication.

As we move forward into the final stretch of the school year, I would like to inform you of several upcoming events and announcements:

1. Festa St. Rita Permission Slips: Tomorrow, permission slips for Festa St. Rita will be distributed. This year, we will provide pizza for the 8th grade students who stay in school to set up the carnival games.

2. Field Day: Don't forget to mark your calendars for our annual Field Day on May 28th. It promises to be a day filled with fun, laughter, and friendly competition. We encourage all students to participate and make lasting memories with their classmates.

3. Graduation Ceremony: Our graduation ceremony will take place on May 30th at 6 p.m. We eagerly anticipate celebrating this significant milestone in their academic journey and invite you to join us in honoring their achievements.

In addition to these events, I must share some bittersweet news regarding our faculty members. Mr. Hinkle, Ms. Brefka, and Ms. Poehlman will not be returning next year. We extend our deepest gratitude to them for their dedicated service and commitment to our school community. We will keep you informed throughout the hiring process as we seek to fill these vacancies.

There is also an update regarding the funding for Coach Bodi, our guidance counselor. As some of you may know, Coach Bodi's position was initially funded through the EANS/COVID funds, which were instrumental in supporting various aspects of our educational programs during the challenging times brought about by the pandemic. However, this funding has come to an end. Nevertheless, Siena remains fully committed to providing the best possible support and guidance for our students. In light of this, we have taken proactive steps and have already posted the position for a counselor. 

To address some of these staffing changes, Mr. Endemann will be stepping into Mr. Hinkle's role, teaching religion and social studies to our middle school students. We are confident in his abilities to continue fostering a nurturing learning environment for our students, and we are actively searching for a new 5th-grade teacher to join our team.

Lastly, I am pleased to announce that Mrs. Lesperance, who assumed the K5 position mid-year, will continue in her role for the upcoming academic year. Her passion for and experience with early childhood education are an asset to our school, and we are fortunate to have her on board.

As always, please watch your child’s class dojo announcements for news about our upcoming events. Your ongoing support and involvement are invaluable to us, and we look forward to finishing the school year strong together.

With warm regards,

Beth Woodward

Principal

St. Rita Catholic School

Here are a couple of repeat items from previous weeks:

ST RITA SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE

• St Rita Racine Parents | Facebook

• St. Rita Catholic School Racine | Facebook

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• We are in need of volunteers to help with lunch supervision between 11-12. Please email bwoodward@sienacatholicschools.org if you are interested in helping, even one day per week.

• Many helping hands build community and lightens the work load.  

• In addition to day-to-day activities, we are always open to new members and ideas for our Royal Parent Student Association.  This is a parent-led volunteer organization that organizes recognition and fun activities as well as supports the school’s need for extra hands in a variety of ways.

SAFEGUARDING ALL OF GOD’S FAMILY

• Safeguarding program and background check MUST be completed before you can volunteer at school or chaperone any school event or field trip.  

•  https://www.archmil.org/offices/safeguarding.htm 

St. Rita’s Track

St. Rita Track team has been practicing and our Meets start soon.  Come out and show your support!  The schedule is below:

May 6 - 4:45pm at UW Parkside Track, HWY E Kenosha

May 11 - 8am at Bradford High School, Kenosha

May 13 - 4:45pm at UW Parkside Track, HWY E Kenosha

May 20 - 4:45pm at UW Parkside Track, HWY E Kenosha

Bring a chair and watch these student athletes compete in short and long distance running events.  Running is hard, but hearing the cheers from parents and friends gives them energy. 

Exciting Volleyball News! 

St. Catherine's High School will be hosting not one, but TWO volleyball camps for students in grades 3-9! Check out the two options below and sign up ASAP! 

All American Volleyball Camp (6th-8th)

Our girls' high school team will be participating in the All American Volleyball Camp which features NCAA Division I coaches and athletes coming to St. Catherine's High School. Since we secured the camp, we were able to open up a mini two day middle school camp for girls in grades 6-8. 

What: Two Day Mini-Camp with NCAA Division I Athletes

When: 8/5/24 & 8/6/24 (3:30pm-5:30pm)

Where: St. Catherine's High School

Cost: $70

How: Fill out the flyer attached. Return to SCHS with payment.

Pacesetter Volleyball Camp (3rd-9th)

Pacesetter is in its 39th season providing on location intensive skill camps at low costs. Coaches and college athletes will come to SCHS to work with our girls for four days at the end of July and early August. 

This camp will group girls together by age to provide a more focused approach. There is room for incoming freshmen in this camp if they missed out on the previous high school camp. 

What: Four day intensive skills camp. Age specific.

When: 7/29/24 - 8/1/24 

(8:30am-10am Grades 3-4) 

(10am-12pm Grades 5-6) 

(1pm-4pm Grades 7-9)

Where: St. Catherine's High School

Cost: 

($75 Grades 3-4) 

($95 Grades 5-6) 

($135 Grades 7-9)

How: See attached flyer or CLICK HERE

Religious Education

Children's Liturgy

Children's Liturgy of the Word will be offered through May. Please join us for 10:30 AM Mass at St. Rita on May 5 and 19. This is a time for your children to hear God’s Word at a developmentally appropriate level and consider how to practice it in daily life.

Family Service Opportunity: Placing Flags for Memorial Day

Your family is invited to join St. Rita parishioners on Saturday, May 25 at the Southern Wisconsin Veterans’ Cemetery near Union Grove to help place flags on the graves of service men and women. This is a very moving experience and appropriate for volunteers of all ages. Please arrive at the cemetery (21731 Spring St, Union Grove, WI 53182) between 7:30 - 8:00 AM and look for our St. Rita group. A brief demonstration on proper flag placement will be given. 

Soda Tabs for Ronald McDonald House

The Ronald McDonald house of Eastern Wisconsin aims to keep families together and promote the health and well-being of children. The St. Rita Tablesetters will be collecting can tabs for the Ronald McDonald house until the end of May. The funds generated go to directly support the children and families staying at Ronald McDonald House. Please send in your can tabs!

First Communicants Wanted

The month of May is the month when the Catholic Church honors Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Next Sunday, May 5th, at the 10:30 Mass the first communicants are invited to help crown our statue of Mary.  They will process in at the beginning of Mass and place a crown on the statue and roses at the base of the statue.  Please meet in the bride's room (second door on the right in the hallway that goes to the bathroom) at 10:15 for instruction and please wear your First Communion clothing.  We hope many of you will be able to help.

Please join us in praying the Rosary outdoors.

 We will meet monthly from May to October on the 13th of each month at 7:00 PM at the St. Rita statue on the St. Rita grounds (near the parish office doors). Rosaries, prayer booklets and assistance will be provided, if needed. 

The event will be canceled in the case of inclement weather. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and your friends and family.  

If you have small children, feel free to come for only one decade, if that is what works for your family. 

All are welcome!

UW-Parkside Summer Youth Camps!

Volunteer Sign up Festival 

St. Rita Festival: St. Rita Festival 2024 (signupgenius.com)

The St. Rita Parish Festival has moved to June 14-17, 2024. Please consider signing up online to volunteer on the parish website or at

 https://signupgenius.com/go/70A054DA9A623A31-48051821-strita#/

Family Resources