A Message from The Family Guild Leadership Team

 

The back to school sales have started, the stores are filled with notebooks, pencils and crayons and the kids have said “I’m bored” more than one or two times.  We are officially more than half-way through summer vacation.  While we don’t want to rush things, we do want to let you know that the Family Guild Leadership Team has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year.  We have planned many events and activities and are excited  to share those plans with all of you.

 

Back to School Events

 

First off, we would like to extend a great big WELCOME to the 40 new students and their families that have registered as students at St. Teresa School this year.  We look forward to meeting you.  Please note that there will be a welcome center set up in the Blessed John XXIII Pastoral Center Pastoral Center just outside of the school yard at 115 Winsor Road after you drop your children off on September 13 and again on September 14 for Pre K 3 parents after your children head into school with Mrs. Simon.  We encourage all parents, especially those who are new to the school, to stop in and have a cup of coffee or tea, a conversation, and a tissue for all the first-timers.

 

We have scheduled our Back to School Event/First Family Guild Meeting for September 20^th at 7:30 pm in Conran Hall (the gymnasium next to the school).  We hope that all parents will join us to see what is in store for the school year and to help us welcome our new families.  There will be chances to win door prizes, become a Class Mother (or Father), volunteer to help with various events, and most importantly to say hello to old friends, meet new ones and have some fun.  Please remember, the Family Guild is not just for moms -  Dad, Grandparents and other family members are welcome to join and take part in all Family Guild activities.

 

Looking at the Year Ahead

 

We will have quick and informative monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month in the Lower Church Hall beginning at 7:30 pm.  Each meetings’ agenda will be available on this site at least one day prior and the minutes will be posted here soon after in an effort to keep everyone informed on Guild news.  

 

We have also scheduled many fun events for parents and their children this fall including a Mother & Daughter Tea on October 10^th, Family Game Night on October 15^th , in-school Halloween Festivities and our annual Christmas Fair on December 5 & 6^th.  In the Spring, you can look forward to the Father & Daughter Dance, Mother & Son Dance, Father & Son Baseball Outing, a Fashion Show, the Chinese Auction, the Lip Synch Show, Field Day and the return of the STS Carnival.

 

A complete calendar of events will be distributed at the start of school.

 

 

Parent Survey Results

 

We asked, you answered and we listened.  As you know a survey was distributed to all parents in June asking for their feedback and suggestions on what the Family Guild could and should do to serve our families.  A big thank you to those of you who took time to suggest fundraising ideas, recommend activities or simply voice your opinions.  The feedback provided was instrumental in shaping our plans for the upcoming school year.  We promise, every suggestion will be considered and a complete report of survey results will be available soon.

 

Thanks to some of those suggestions we have decided to create a “Swap Closet” that will be available at each Guild meeting.  Parents can now bring in uniforms that no longer fit their child(ren) and exchange them for larger sizes.  Parents can also exchange books for themselves or their children. 

 

We are also exploring the feasibility of the fund-raising suggestions that many of you shared, have added events for Mothers and Daughters and Fathers and Sons, and are currently working on plans for Pizza Friday lunches, STS car magnets and health and safety awareness seminars.  

 

It is not too late to share your thoughts!  If anyone did not receive, or misplaced the survey, you can click on the survey link below to access a copy.  Once completed you can mail it to the school or send it in with your child in September.  We will accept surveys through September 30 so everyone has a chance to voice their opinions.  (Parent Survey)

 

Fundraising

 

Family Guild would like to remind you of some simple things that you can do to help raise money for our school.  They don’t take much effort and can translate into cash for our school - and that cash can translate into more affordable tuition and reduced fees.

Box Tops for Education

We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week. You can turn these shopping trips into easy cash for our school.  Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios®, Hamburger Helper® and Kleenex®, in almost every aisle of the store.  All you need to do is clip and send them in with your child - each one is worth 10¢ for our school.  A list of products that participate in the box top program is attached to this flyer along with a summer collection worksheet. 

In addition, the Box Tops for Education Marketplace has partnered with many of your favorite on-line retailers, such as gapkids.com, target.com, shutterfly.com, bn.com, and 1800flowers.com.  Before you begin shopping, log into the box top website at wwww.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace.  Then simply buy what you normally would and the Marketplace will credit our school 3, 6, even 12 percent of your purchase depending on the retailer.   You can even track your personal donation record on the box top website.

Target^® Stores 

Shop at Target using your Target^® Visa^® or Red^® Card and raise money for our school.  St. Teresa School will receive a percentage of the amount of each purchase you make in the form of a cash donation through the Take Charge of Education^® program. All you have to do is visit target.com/tcoe, or call 1-800-316-6142 to register or apply for a card and designate our school. Our School ID is 11105.  So if you're going to Target anyway, please consider using your Target^® Visa^® or Target^® Card.  Grandparents, neighbors and friends can take part, too. So encourage everyone that shops at Target to participate.

Labels for Education 

Participating in the program is easy — simply save UPC's from participating Campbell products and send them to our school. Some of the products eligible for redemption include:  Campbell's® soups, juices, beans and gravies, SpaghettiOs® Pasta, Prego® Italian sauces, Swanson® stocks and broths, Pepperidge Farm® breads, cookies, and Goldfish® crackers, and all V8 Splash® and Fusion® Beverages. 

Visit labelsforeducation.com for a complete list of eligible products and point values.  Help multiply our efforts by asking your friends and family to collect UPC's on behalf of our school.  Collection will begin in September, so save those labels and send them in when school begins.

Giveniks -  Broadway/Off Broadway Show Tickets

 

The St. Teresa Family Guild has also partnered with Givenik.com to raise money for our school and offer great theater tickets at discounted prices to our families.  Before you purchase your tickets, visit the website Givenik.com and select St. Teresa School as your charity.  Then browse through the list of available shows and select the one you'd like to see. They offer a variety of shows, such as Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins and sell individual and group tickets including premium seats. They will donate 5% of the cost of your tickets to St. Teresa School. 

 

Wendy Wednesday

Eat at Wendys on Forest Avenue between the hours of 5:00 -8:-- pm on the first Wednesday of every month (beginning in October) and the fast food chain will donate 20% of your purchase back to St. Teresa School.  Coupons on additional information will be given out in school.

  Communication

Starting in September, look for new Family Guild bulletin boards throughout the school lobby and main hallways, and the opportunity for your child to join the Media Club, which is moderated by a print journalist and cable TV news anchor.  In addition to learning valuable journalism tips the students will publish a school newsletter. 

 

Also, if you are one of the many people who use FACEBOOK, check out the St. Teresa Family Guild page for news, photos and to keep in touch with other parents. 

 

Final Thoughts

 

If you haven’t participated in Family Guild events before, we encourage you to give it a try.  Not only do you meet new people and have fun, but you help to ensure a quality educational experience for the children.  If you are not available, consider having a grandparent or other relative take your place. The monies raised help pay for the wonderful programs offered at St. Teresa’s for our students and their families.  It also helps keeps tuition costs and fees down by providing money to the school for books, computers, science lab equipment and educational materials.   Most importantly, when you volunteer, you are showing your support of your child and their school.  And, our children are watching - when they see that you value them and their education, they, in turn, learn to value education.  Whatever your skills...cookie baker, artist, musician, printer ...we have a place for you!  Please consider volunteering your time.

We look forward to working with you this year.