February 1, 2024
A Message from Administration
Dear St. Albert Families,
We want to extend our sincerest thanks for your presence Tuesday night, it was great to see such strong parental support! We are so thankful that our guest speaker, Secret Service Agent Rick Nord, was able to educate and inform us about internet safety. Teaching children cellphone and internet safety is crucial in today’s digital age. As Rick pointed out, we have to teach our children the right way to use technology the same way we would teach them to drive a car. Here are some tips and strategies to help our children navigate the online world safely:
Start Early: Begin discussing internet safety as soon as your child starts using digital devices. Establishing good habits early can help them develop a responsible approach to technology.
Open Communication: Create an environment where your child feels comfortable talking to you about their online experiences. Encourage them to ask questions and share any concerns they may have with you or another trusted adult.
Set Clear Rules and Boundaries: Establish rules for device usage, such as limiting screen time, appropriate websites and apps, and guidelines for social media use. Make sure your child understands the consequences of breaking these rules.
Educate About Privacy: Teach your child about the importance of keeping personal information private online, such as their full name, address, phone number, school name, and passwords. Remind them never to share this information with others online.
Online Stranger Danger: Emphasize the concept of stranger danger in the digital world. Teach your child to be cautious when interacting with strangers online and to never meet someone they've only met online without parental supervision. This is especially important when it comes to video games and social media - people can easily pretend to be someone else online!
Critical Thinking Skills: Teach your child to think critically about the content they encounter online. Help them develop the skills to evaluate the credibility of information and identify potential scams or misinformation. We all have our own “spidey senses” to help guide us right from wrong.
Online Reputation Management: Explain to your child that their online actions and posts can have real-world consequences. As Rick pointed out, we are in control of what we send, but once we share it, we lose that control. Encourage them to maintain a positive digital footprint by being mindful of what they share online and through their devices.
Model Healthy Tech Habits: Be a positive role model for your child by demonstrating responsible device usage and good digital citizenship. Show them how to balance screen time with other activities and engage in meaningful offline interactions.
Stay Informed and Involved: Keep yourself informed about the latest online trends, apps, and social media platforms your child may be using. Around 66% of children on average have a second social media account that parents are unaware of. Regularly check in with them about their online activities and experiences. There are several parent programs and applications designed to help monitor a child's cellphone usage while also promoting healthy digital habits. Here are some options: Bark, Qustodio, Net Nanny, Family Link by Google, OurPact, Screen Time Parental Control, Norton Family, Mobicip.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (MCMEC) offers two interactive online programs, KidSmartz (K-5) and NetSmartz (K-12), on their website. These programs help educate families about preventing abduction and empowering children to practice safe behaviors. Please take a moment to check out their website and the free online resources they provide.
We look forward to hosting you again in the future!
Thank you,
Loren Cataldo
School Counselor
You can also add our digital school calendar to your phone so you have the latest school dates at your fingertips. To add our Google Calendar, click HERE and then select the +Google Calendar in the bottom right corner.
School News
Weather Alert Notifications via FlockNote
Are you receiving school closure or delayed schedule messages on your cell phone? If not, you can sign up to receive "All Parent" messages sent via FlockNote by texting SCHOOLPARENTS to 84576.
Book Bee -4th Grade Coach Needed
The Archdiocese of Louisville Book Bee competition will take place on May 11th! Book Bee is a competition where a team of up to twelve students read a list of books for their grade level and answer detailed questions about those books on the competition day. This is a wonderful extracurricular activity for students who enjoy reading! St. Albert is in need of a coach for the fourth-grade team. If you are interested in coaching the fourth-grade team or would like to know more about Book Bee, please contact Lindsey Choi at lchoi@stalbert.org.
The Scholastic Book Fair
Our Scholastic Book Fair will be taking place Wednesday, February 7- 13! Students may shop during Library class as well as during Parent/Teacher Conference days that week. We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Join the St. Albert Boy Scout Troop!
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th grade boys: February is the perfect time to join the St. Albert Boy Scout Troop! Interested boys and their parents are invited to attend the Troop meeting on Monday, February 5th, at 7:00 PM in the PLC.
Check out www.facebook.com/groups/Troop327Ky/ to see what our Scouts have been up to:
- camping, hiking and outdoor adventures
- developing leadership skills, character, fitness and citizenship
- earning merit badges in life skills, science, business, sports and crafts as the boys advance to possibly becoming Eagle Scouts.
More info is at www.scouting.org/programs/scouts-bsa, and feel free to reach out with questions to:
Jim Sharon, St. Albert Troop Scoutmaster, james.sharon@twc.com
Mike Biagi, parent of 5th & 7th grade Scouts, michaelbiagi@gmail.com
Winter STEM
Winter STEM Club begins the first week of February with new experiences and technology! Don't miss this opportunity for your student in grades 1-4 to participate in engaging, hands-on STEM activities! Give the gift of STEM Club this holiday season! Winter STEM Club begins the first week of February with new experiences and technology! Don't miss this opportunity for your student in grades 1-4 to participate in engaging, hands-on STEM activities! Click for link.
Teacher Conference Dinner Signup
It's conference time again, and we need volunteers to bring it items to cover dinner for our wonderful teachers. Here is the Signup Genius. Please sign up and make sure items are clearly labeled and dropped to the office Monday, February 12th.
Carpool Reminders
Morning and Afternoon carpools are stressful times of the day for our staff. Ensuring the safety of our 716 students, their families, and our staff is of the utmost concern and the reason why we have so many people working each morning and afternoon. We appreciate the families following the procedures in place.
We would like to remind everyone of the procedures. Please know that these are in place to prevent incidents/accidents which have happened in the past. We appreciate your patience and support in following these procedures.
Morning Carpool-
Do not drop your child off in any area off of campus for them to walk to school.
Use the church and gym line! Students are no longer walking through the entire courtyard, all enter at the first school door in the courtyard and walk through the school halls to the upper grades. There is a monitor in the courtyard and at the door, in addition to the monitors parents can see in the parking lot.
If you need to park near the office and take your child in, be aware of the buses and people in the parking lot. Do not pull near the church to drop off your child.
Afternoon Carpool-
Use the carpool line and follow the directions from the monitors. Please stay in the lane you choose and be aware there are two lanes at the beginning of the line.
Cones are placed behind the last car in each wave. If you are behind the cone, do not get your child. Please be patient, you will be in the next wave.
Do not park in the church lot, playground lot or near the Sacred Heart Center to pick up your child. If you need to get to an appointment, you should contact the school and teacher for your child to be called to the school office. You will park near the office and come in to get your child.
All walkers need to have a signed form on file in the school office. Click here to complete the form.
Please share this information with anyone who picks up your child. Carpool maps and directions can be found on the school website. If your family has extenuating circumstances, please contact the school office to make safe arrangements for your family. Together, we can get all of our students, families, and staff on their way safely!
PTO News
Mark Your Calendars!
2023-2024 School Year Meeting Dates
Each PTO meeting will occur in the Cafeteria from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
All parents are encouraged to attend!
Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Thank you to the PTO for the Catholic Schools Week treats! Each homeroom was gifted with new indoor recess games. Students enjoyed an Icee treat and a Viking bracelet. The staff was served a delicious breakfast! We appreciate all you do for our school!
SAAM (St. Albert Ahletic Ministry)News
Night at the Races
Calling All Race Fans📣
Sales for Night at the Races are now LIVE! Tables are available to purchase on the St. Albert store site https://store.stalbert.org.
Come have some fun, Mardi Gras style, and win some cash💰
We are still in need of Race Sponsors and a Bar Sponsor. Sponsorships will be available to purchase on the site as well. For more information on sponsorships contact Chelsea Culbreth at crculbreth@gmail.com.
