Saint Gabriel School Weekly Newsletter for Parents

Week 24 - February 28

UPCOMING EVENTS

Gala is March 1st!

The Gala will be Saturday, March 1, 2025 at Wildwood Country Club. This Monte Carlo themed event will be "Lucky Streak in the Creek."

Silent auction is now available. Visit SGgala25.givesmart.com to purchase.

Thank you for your donations! It's going to be a great night!

LIC 00031

Gala Website

Browse and Bid Items

Celebrate Our Differences month

March will be our 4th annual Celebrate Our Differences month. The goal of Celebrate Our Differences month is to build awareness of populations who are different from ourselves and gain an appreciation for each other. Each grade level will hear from a guest speaker. Topics range from disabilities to diversity.

Bake Sale

Student Council will host a Mardi Gras bake sale on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4. Students who donated may have a uniform break on Thursday, March 6. Items will be $1 to purchase.

Ash Wednesday

Lent: The Road to Resurrection

Ash Wednesday is next Wednesday, March 5. Please join us at one of our three masses.

Deepen your faith during the Lenten season through any or all of the parish activities and experiences during this season. Access a listing of Lenten activities here: www.stgabriel.net/lent

Rice Bowl Penny Challenge

Each Lent, Catholic families across the country unite to put their faith into action through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Through CRS Rice Bowl, families learn about how our sisters and brothers across the globe overcome hardships like hunger and climate change, and how through Lenten alms, we have the power to make the world wl a better place for all.

Rice bowls will be sent home this week. On Fridays during Lent, students are invited to bring in coins for our Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl Penny Challenge. Each grade will have a jug in the cafeteria during morning carpool. Individual rice bowls returned the week of March 24 will earn extra points towards the homeroom total. Rice Bowls due April 17. Please label with child's name and homeroom.

Eat Lunch With Your Child Day

The next Eat Lunch With Your Child day is Friday, March 7. The adult order form for lunch was emailed last week. Please return by Monday, May 3 to the school office. Please do not bring outside food from another vendor. This event is for lunch only, not recess.

Stations of the Cross

The 8th grade students will lead K-8 students in the Stations of the Cross during Lent on Fridays, March 7, 21, and 28. All sessions will begin at 1:45 p.m. in the church.

Spring into Math Night

Students in K-5 and their families are invited to participate in Spring Into Math night hosted by Mathnasium. Event will be Tuesday, March 11 from 6-7 p.m. in the cafeteria. Flyers with RSVP information were sent home this week.

Patriotic Program

Enjoy patriotic musical selections sung by our 5th graders! Performance will be in the gym on March 20 at 7 p.m. All are welcome.

Letter from Administration

Our Faith Is On Fire

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Our students are on fire for the faith, and our Catholic Identity is strong here at Saint Gabriel School! We have a strong partnership with our Director of Faith Formation, Kathy Abell and amazing teachers. We believe that all teachers are religion teachers whether or not they teach religion as a subject. Our teachers model Christ-like interactions daily and bring the face of Christ to our students Here are some ways we demonstrate our Catholic Identity:

We begin and end each day with prayer.
Students plan and lead mass each week- even Kindergarten students- and lead all ministries within the masses.
9 families between last year and this year have made the switch from our Sunday Religious Education Program to our School
All Kindergarten students have Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as a Unique class weekly
All grades participate in Eucharistic adoration at least monthly
3rd grade planned the Living Rosary in October
8th graders will be leading the school in Stations of the Cross during Lent
2nd grade will be planning the May Crowning in May
46 of our 2nd graders made their First Reconciliation in December and will be making their First Eucharist in March
60 of our 8th graders will be making Confirmation in April
We have 14 of our Gabriel school students on their journey to become Catholic within OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults/ Children). Several of our teachers have accepted the call to serve as sponsors.
Be Kind school theme
Friendzy Friday lessons (Friendzy is a biblically-based Social-Emotional Learning program)
Grandparents Day masses in Kindergarten, 2nd, and 8th grades
Faculty prayer groups at monthly faculty meetings
Catechist professional development
Staff retreats
Faculty and admin participate in Archdiocese of Louisville Merton Leadership Institute

Research shows research faith has a positive impact:

Spiritual practices like meditation or prayer have been linked to increased levels of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins—chemicals that help the brain regulate and feel good. Reading scripture has also been linked to a decrease in cortisol and noradrenaline—chemicals that cause stress and anxiety.1
One study in Canada found that people who attend religious services regularly have a lower risk of depression.2
In a study done at a mental health treatment center, 80% of patients reported using religion to cope with daily life, 65% said religion helped them cope with their symptoms, and 30% said religion gave them a purpose.3

We invite you to continue the faith conversation at home. Lent is a great time to talk about faith and the traditions of our Church. No matter if you are Catholic or not, all are welcome at Saint Gabriel. Thank you for your partnership in your child’s journey.

Blessings,

Lara Krill

Principal

1 Mohandas, E. (2008). Neurobiology of spirituality. Mens Sana Monographs. 6(1):63-80.

2 Balbuena, L., Baetz, M., & Bowen, R. (2013). Religious attendance, spirituality, and major depression in Canada: a 14-year follow-up study. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. 58(4): 225-232.

3 Tepper, L., Rogers, S., Coleman, E. & Malony H.N. (2001). The prevalence of religious coping among persons with persistent mental illness.

Staff Update

Welcome to Ms. Traci Slayton. She will be our new art teacher starting March 3. Teaching is her number one passion; however she has many more! She is an artist, singer, avid gardener and novice beekeeper. Traci was born in Louisville and now resides in Finchville. She taught art in Shelby County for twelve years. Before that, she was a classroom teacher as well as taught students with hearing impairments in Shelby County. Ms. Slayton loves incorporating sign language into lessons as it is a great way to boost students’ memories of concepts. After retiring last year in order to complete a second master’s degree in Art History, she began teaching art on a part-time basis. Ms. Slayton quickly realized that was not exactly for her. She is happiest in the classroom and knows she still has much to learn and much to contribute.

She says, “I am looking forward to teaching your children new techniques, songs about art, art history and much more, but most importantly I can’t wait to get to know each and every one of your children and build confidence in them as young artists and learners. I am overjoyed at joining the Saint Gabriel team as the new Visual Art teacher.”

HIGHLIGHTS

QUICK LINKS

New School Board Members

Welcome to our new School Board members!

Brandon Lewis

Angela Nolan

Jordan Oros

Bethany Dages (alternate)

For more information about school board, visit https://www.stgabrielcatholicschool.net/about/leadership

Drama Club

Students in Grades 3-8 are invited to join our new Drama Club here at St. Gabriel. The Drama Club will meet on selected Thursdays* from 3:00-4:15 in Ms. Helms’s room, Room S118. We will play games and work on dramatic performances such as Reader’s Theater, Musicals, and more. Click link for more details.

Drama club sign-up

Now enrolling

Applications for the 2025-26 school year are now available! Know someone who may be interested? Help spread the word!

Visit our website to apply. Preschool through 8th grade will use the same application process. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. In order to receive preference, current and parish families who are ADDING students must apply by the priority deadline.

This is for NEW students only. Returning students will complete re-enrollment through FACTS in March.

Bingo Schedule

Bingo

Bingo is one of our largest fundraisers. Funds are used to offer tuition assistance and capital projects. A schedule for this year has been created to assist with staffing volunteers. If you volunteer, your child may have a uniform break the next non-mass day! Please sign up using Sign Up Genius.

Mar. 5- 6Passanisi

Mar. 6- 6Rhea

Mar. 12- 8Peplowsi

Mar. 13- 8Stewart-Wilcox

Snow Days

*Friday, March 14 will be a snow make-up day. School will be IN SESSION.

When weather conditions cause school openings to be questionable, one of the following announcements will be made for the Catholic Elementary Schools in Jefferson County.

“All Catholic Elementary Schools in Jefferson County are open” – Saint Gabriel is open.
“Catholic Elementary Schools in Jefferson County will be open, but on a delayed schedule.” Saint Gabriel will be on a two-hour delay. Buses will run two hours late. Doors will open at 9:25 a.m. for student arrival. Students are not allowed in before this time. Classes will start at 10:00 a.m. Dismissal will be at regular time – 2:45 p.m.
“All Catholic Schools in Jefferson County are closed.” – Saint Gabriel is closed. In the case that Saint Gabriel is closed, Saint Gabriel Preschool will make every effort to offer full-day care for registered participants. Notification will be sent separately.

All morning activities, including detention, are cancelled for that day. Detention will be served the following scheduled day.

You will be notified via the Saint Gabriel Parent Alert program.

NEW: Updates on campus closures and delays can be found here: www.gabrielweather.com

Honor Thy Child/ Safe Environment Training

Field Trip chaperones and special event volunteers need to have a background check on file and have attended the Safe Environment Training. For more information, visit https://www.stgabriel.net/background. Not sure if we have your information? Contact background@stgabriel.net. To view upcoming Honor Thy Child trainings, visit https://www.archlou.org/about-the-archdiocese/archdiocesan-policies-guidelines-and-handbooks/restoringtrust/safe/. Background checks and safe environment training refresher must be completed every five years.

Save the Dates

March 5- Ash Wednesday
March 7- Eat Lunch With Your Child Day
March 11- Spring into Math Family Night
March 13- Grandparents Day (2nd)
April 24- Grandparents Day (8th)
April 26- Confirmation

From The Cafeteria

Your Voice Matters! Taher Survey

Taher would like to know what you think of school lunch. Please complete this survey!

School Lunch Survey

2-Hour Delay Menu

Winter weather is here. On days when there is a 2 hour delay, breakfast will not be available, and the cafeteria will serve the following lunch menu:

Hot dogs
Burgers
PBJ

(We will still take a lunch count on these mornings.)

From The PTSO

Father/ Daughter Dance

St. Gabriel PTSO’s Father/Daughter dance has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 22. Tickets previously purchased will be honored. If you are no longer able to attend, refunds are available. Please email ptsosgs@gmail.com by February 1 to request your refund. Refunds cannot be guaranteed after this date. Tickets are still available for purchase. Tickets will only be available online until March 17 and will not be available at the door the day of the event. The theme is Hollywood, and we look forward to a night of friends, music and a chocolate fountain.

Purchase Father/ Daughter Dance Tickets

Box Tops

Box Tops is a great fundraiser for PTSO! Download the Box Tops for Education app and scan your receipt for a contribution of $1.50 or more. Be sure to enter the name of the child who should receive credit. Join the January monthly challenge in the Box Tops app and you'll earn 24 BONUS box tops when you buy 12 participating products across all scans during the month of January. Our next Box Tops Uniform Break will be March 24.

Our school ID is ID: 393279.

PTSO Group Me

Not on social media but want to stay up to date on PTSO news? Join our GroupMe chat. GroupMe link

PTSO Events 2024-25

Father/ Daughter Dance- March 22

Teacher/ Staff Appreciation Week- May 5-9

From The Parish

Congratulations 7th/8th Girls basketball

Congratulations to our St. Gabriel Girls Grade 7/8 #2 team - 2025 CSAA City Championship Runners Up!

The team overcome several obstacles to battle like leopards against the St. Michael Knights last Saturday. We are so proud of them.

Fish fry Fridays Are back!

Starts March 7

5-7:30 p.m.

Drive Thru/ Dine-In/ Carryout

Link Your Kroger Card

Choose St. Gabriel for your Kroger Community Rewards! This can be done easily by selecting our program on your digital account.

St. Gabriel ID # is: QA178

Learn more at https://www.kroger.com/i/community/community-rewards

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Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School(502) 239-5535 | school@stgabriel.net | School Website | Parish Website

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