Dear St. Albert Families,
The holiday season is in full swing! Christmas is 18 days away and we have about one week of school left in the 2023 year, but who’s counting? This time of year is famous for bringing joy, happiness, and laughter with loved ones. However, it can also be a difficult or stressful time of year. I wanted to share some tips for making this holiday season a healthy and peaceful one.
1. Routine
Do your best to stick to your regular family routine and plan ahead where you can. Changing your schedule to fit in holiday activities and traveling can be tough on you and your children, so try to keep things as normal as possible, especially with sleep schedules. Take a moment each day to talk with your children about each day’s activities and let them know what to expect, and what you expect from them.
2. Manage Expectations
Keep in mind that the goal of the holidays should be to enjoy your time together! Avoid trying to cram in too many activities or make every meal and get together perfect. It’s a great lesson for children to see how their parents handle dealing with stress or disappointment, or overcoming obstacles in a healthy way.
3. Focus On The Positives
There might be unexpected weather, out of stock gifts, seasonal colds, etc., that come up, but don’t let these hiccups overshadow all the wonderful things. These are teachable moments about how to be an optimistic thinker and showing children how to focus on what we can control, not what we can’t.
4. Take Time to Relax - Don’t Forget to Breathe!
Plan downtime as a family - play a board game together, go for a family walk around the neighborhood to see holiday lights, or read books/watch movies together. Children will not always remember the gifts you gave them, but they will remember the time you spent with them. When stressful situations come up or your child is acting out, remember to take deep breaths. Try asking them to breathe with you. Hot chocolate breathing seems to be a favorite among the younger grades. I have them pretend they are holding a mug and breathe in deeply to smell the chocolate, and then blow on it to cool the hot chocolate. Give it a try!
Wishing you a very peaceful season.
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.
In an effort to teach our students about being accountable for their own belongings as well as to limit the number of visitors to the school during the day and effectively monitor those visitors coming into the school, we have a policy that does NOT allow for student deliveries. Parents, please do not bring items (lunches, homework, coats/clothing, presentations, papers, Chromebooks, etc.) to school to drop off for your child/children. Our main office staff have been instructed not to accept those deliveries. Thank you for your cooperation with these efforts.
A few exceptions: eyeglasses, medication, or lunches when the cafeteria is closed.
Please remember to always keep an eye on the daily forecast, as the temperature is changing and the students begin to wear heavier coats.
Please be mindful of the school-wide policy regarding illness. We ask that your child be fever/vomit/symptom-free for 24 hours before returning to school.
As a current St. Albert school family, you do not need to do anything to register your current student for the 2024/2025 school year. On February 16, 2024, we will automatically draft your Pre-Registration fee of $100 per student through your FACTS account. Please see 2024-2025 Enrollment Information for Current Families for more information. If your child(ren) will NOT be returning for the 2024-2025 school year, please submit your intention to withdraw your student(s), in writing, to Mrs. Martin by January 12, 2024. See link above for more details.
7th and 8th graders are invited to a Hawaiian Night mixer on December 9 from 7:30-10:30. Admission is $10. Refreshments and Hawaiian theme items will be available for sale and a parent must sign a student in/out. Come out for a night of fun!
Time to dust off that windbreaker and warm up your best Electric Slide because we want you to join us for a 90’s throwback adult mixer on January 20th! See link for more details! Grab your tickets here! We anticipate a sold-out event!
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.
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, Jan. 25, 2024
Thursday, April 18, 2024
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Need ideas on what to gift your favorite St. Albert teachers and staff for Christmas?
The PTO has you covered. We are collecting money that will be divided out among our outstanding teachers and school staff for the holidays.
Instead of receiving small gifts, each teacher and the school staff will receive a substantial monetary gift that they can spend as they please. They really enjoy receiving these monetary gifts during Christmastime.
You can send your check (made out to the St. Albert PTO) to the school office in an envelope marked: “PTO Teacher & School Staff Christmas Collection”. Deadline is Friday, Dec. 8th.
We'll be sprinkling the St. Albert faculty & staff with some holiday cheer at their annual Christmas luncheon on Friday, December 15th. We are in need of cookie donations and luncheon volunteers. We realize this time of year is crazy and jam packed for everyone but we are hoping our St. Albert village can pull through with a few special elves to make this afternoon fun and festive for our amazing teachers! As always, our PTO events would not be possible without the generous time & talent of our school families, and we greatly appreciate all that you do! Please click here to sign up to volunteer.
Please read the Parish Post to stay up to date with events and opportunities.
All children and teens are invited to bring their baby Jesus to Mass on December 9th & 10th for this special blessing and tradition.
Fr. Dave will conduct the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb in the Adoration Chapel right after all the Masses on December 9th & 10th. This rite serves to embrace parents and families as they prepare to welcome the birth of a child. All expectant mothers and their families are invited to participate!
Have you bought new string lights for the holidays, and don’t know what to do with the tangled-up old strings you have?
After bringing your family holiday cheer your Christmas lights deserve better than the dump! Holiday light strings contain materials which sit in a landfill for years, but can be recycled into construction materials, car batteries, electronics, jewelry, and more.
St. Albert will be collecting used holiday lights to reduce their impact on the environment. Parishioners can leave string lights in the back of church on the following weekends:
December 9th/10th & 16th/17th
January 6th/7th & 13th/14th
If you would like to protect and preserve the earth consider joining the Environmental Concerns Committee. Contact Mark Wehrley for more information call or text 741-3216 or call 456-5176, or email akmojo@aol.com.