Saint Gabriel School Weekly Newsletter for Parents
Saint Gabriel School Weekly Newsletter for Parents
Parent-Teacher-Student conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 8th from 1:30-7:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 9th from 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Only conferences during these designated times count as an official conference. This counts as a day of school so students that do not attend will be marked absent. Student-led conferences allow an important opportunity for students to take charge of their own learning and share that learning with the adults who matter most to their education. Thank you for your partnership in this experience.
Please refer to your FACTS family portal for assigned time.
The Scholastic Book Fair is back! Book fair will be available for in-person and virtual shopping. In-person shopping will begin for students in their homerooms October 6th - October 8th. The Book Fair will also be open during conferences on October 8th (1:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.) and October 9th (8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.). We’re so excited to connect our community through the joy of reading and create a fun virtual experience for our kids.
Parents can set up an eWallet for your child(ren). You and family members can contribute to the eWallet and your child(ren) doesn't need to bring cash!
If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.
We can’t wait to bring the magic of storytelling to St. Gabriel. Visit the book fair homepage at https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/stgabrielarchangelschool.
Third grade will lead the rosary aloud with all students on Wednesday, October 8 at 8:15 am. in the church. Students are invited to bring a rosary from home to participate.
Save the Date! Trunk or Treat will be Friday, October 24 from 6-8 p.m. All ages are welcome.
As we move into October, academic responsibilities and social situations can start to feel more demanding for students. It's common for both students and parents to experience automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) during these times.
These thoughts can feel overwhelming—but there are effective strategies to help challenge and reframe them. One helpful tool we often use is a simple worksheet that poses reflective questions like:
Is this thought helpful?
Is there another way of looking at this?
What evidence supports or contradicts this thought?
How would someone else see this situation?
What advice would I give a friend?
Is this a fact or just an opinion?
Asking these questions can help shift our mindset and guide us toward more realistic, hopeful thinking.
Coping Tools for Stress and Emotions
When students feel overwhelmed—whether it’s due to schoolwork, friendships, or a combination—coping skills are powerful tools for emotional regulation. Here are a few strategies that can make a big difference:
Deep breathing (inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 8)
Taking short “brain breaks” to reset and refocus
Journaling or drawing as an emotional outlet
Physical activity or movement to release tension
Bilateral stimulation, which engages both sides of the brain to promote calm and focus
Here’s a helpful example of bilateral stimulation in action: Watch on YouTube
Supporting our students emotionally is just as important as supporting them academically. By learning to identify ANTs and use positive coping strategies, we can help them build resilience and confidence throughout the school year.
If you’d like more resources or support, feel free to reach out to me at aarmstrong@stgabriel.net.
Have a great weekend!
Allison Armstrong, LPCC
School Counselor
Help us spread the word! Open House for Prospective Families will be Thursday, October 16 from 6-7:30 p.m. Families can find more information at https://www.stgabrielcatholicschool.net/admissions/visit-sgs. We also need parent volunteers to help give tours! If you are interested in helping, please contact Becca Thornton at bthornton@stgabriel.net.
Taher would like to know what you think of school lunch. Please complete this survey! Survey will close October 31. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
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 to sell pull tabs. If you volunteer, your child may have a uniform break the next non-mass day! Please sign up using Sign Up Genius link below. Thank you for your support!
Oct. 15- 5Livingston
Oct. 16- 5Passanisi
Oct. 22- 6Langenkamp
Oct. 23- 6Rhea
Are you planning to volunteer or attend a school event this year?
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.
October 8- Living Rosary
October 8 & 9- Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences
October 15- Rosary Rally
October 16- Open House for Prospective Families
October 24- Trunk or Treat
October 28- Blue Mass for First Responders
October 31- Halloween parties
November 1- Father/ Daughter Dance
November 3- Fall Into Reading Night
November 4- All Saints Day celebration
Wow! Thank you for your support of our 2025 PTSO Walk-a-thon! We raised over $56,000! We are still counting a few last minute donations. Special thanks to our Walk-a-thon planning committee and volunteers!
Since we met our school goal, we will have a no homework day and Pajama Day on Wednesday, October 15. We will announce prize winners on Facebook Live (@stgabriellouisville) on Friday, October 17 at 2 p.m.
Saint Gabriel PTSO strives:
To promote communication among parents, teachers and administration.
To provide parents and teachers assistance in all aspects of education and student growth.
To promote good will and cooperation between parents, faculty, administration, school board and parish.
To direct and coordinate parental support to the school through specific assistance activities, social functions and fund-raisers.
To organize and conduct fundraisers. Funds raised are given to Saint Gabriel the Archangel School to assist with classroom supplies, student programs, teacher and staff appreciation, social events and other programs approved by the administration
Walk-a-thon- October 3
Father/ Daughter Dance- November 1
Santa Shop- December 2-4
Paint Night- December 4
Mother/ Son event- March 21
Not on social media but want to stay up to date on PTSO news? Join our GroupMe chat. GroupMe link
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. Our next Box Tops Uniform Break will be October 27.
Our school ID is ID: 393279.
Every year, as part of our Feast of St. Gabriel events, we award member of our parish community who have gone above and beyond to build community, deepen faith and teach others to do and serve. Winners are nominated by the community and selected based upon the beautiful stories of service told by the nominator.
Join Us in Celebrating Our 2025 Service Award Winners:
Golden Hammer: Keith Walker
Good Shepherd: Evan Gooch
Leopard Leadership: Erin Young
Sports Leader: Scott Gibson
Unsung Hero: Lisa Young
October is Rosary Month. Join us for a Rosary Rally on Wednesday, October 7 at 7 p.m. in the church following mass. All are welcome! Students are invited to wear their Saint Gabriel spirit wear.
The parish is updating the parish directory. Have you changed your phone number or email address? Have you moved to a new home? Please submit your updated contact information by 11/28/25.
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
📢 Basketball & Archery Sign-Ups Are Now Open!
🏹 Archery – Co-ed for 4th–8th graders
🏀 Basketball – Open to all JK–8th graders
👉 Please use GameDay to sign up at https://gameday.loucsaa.net/ .
Sign-ups extended on October 14, 2025!
We are also seeking basketball coaches for this season!
If you’re interested, please email Jamie Pike at: 📧 jpike1793@gmail.com
Interested in learning more about archery? All 4th-8th graders and their families are invited to a St. Gabriel Archery Open House on Wednesday, October 15 from 6-7pm or 7-8pm.
The following tryout dates have been scheduled:
Saturday, 10/18/25
12:00 – 1:30 PM — JK/K
1:30 – 3:00 PM — 1st/2nd Grade Girls
3:00 – 4:30 PM — 1st/2nd Grade Boys
Sunday, 10/19/25
3:00 – 4:30 PM — 3rd/4th Grade Girls
4:30 – 6:00 PM — 3rd/4th Grade Boys
Note: Tryout times for 5th/6th and 7th/8th grade teams will be scheduled once the volleyball and football seasons are completed.
We have added a section on News You Can Use for high school information. Check out this section for upcoming events for prospective students. This section will continue to be updated.
To view information about Catholic high school open houses, visit https://louisvillecatholicschools.com/schools/high-schools/.