Weekly Broadcast September 3 Sixth grade students participating in Tuesday Mass.
A Message from the Principal It took a village (and more!) to begin the school year, but here we are, at the end of the first week! Even though it is very different from what we have known in the past, some things can never change...the respectful faces as we hear the daily Gospel proclaimed and pray together as a school community, the proud faces as we pledge allegiance to our country, the excited faces of kids as they reconnect with classmates, the anxious faces as they meet their teacher and begin to develop a new routine, the friendly faces as they make new students feel welcome, faces of wonder and awe as they experience something new and creative, the concentration on faces as they attempt something new….it is good to be back! Thank you for entrusting the care of your children to us. We are so looking forward to a year of learning and growing in faith with one another.
Barb Plenge Principal
School News The St. Francis school office has 21 memory books from the 2019-2020 school year available for purchase until Friday, September 11. If you are interested in purchasing one or more, please send cash or a check made payable to “St. Francis of Assisi School” with your student(s). Each book costs $15. Band lessons at St. Francis will begin next week. 7th and 8th grade wind and brass players will have lessons on Tuesday. 6th grade wind and brass players will have lessons on Thursday. Percussion lessons will be on Mondays so you won't have your first lesson until September 14 . If you haven't registered for band yet, please ask your parents to take care of that before your first lesson. Please let Ms. Hanson know if you have any questions. Picture Day is Wednesday, September 9. It is a non-uniform day. Order forms will be coming home in backpacks today! To order online go to www.mylifetouch.com. Picture ID is: EVT2CWFRG. Please use our stfattendance@rcsmn.org email when notifying us that your child(ren) will be absent from school, leaving for appointments, vacations, etc. Extended Day families should also use this same email address to communicate schedule needs, schedule changes, etc. There is much uncertainty about responding as a family to a potential exposure. We are linking you to a Family Planning document that might be helpful in thinking through different scenarios. Click HERE. We will be gathering to celebrate Mass on Tuesday mornings at 9:15. The current requirements for Social Distancing will allow for 2-3 grades of the school to be present each week. Students and adults must wear masks. Teachers will share the dates of when your child’s class will be in attendance. Live streaming the Mass has not been an option so far. Classrooms are planning beautiful prayer opportunities for all of us to be united for the proclamation of the Tuesday Gospel, offer petitions and prayers and have some quiet, reflective time to grow in our relationship with Jesus. The school Mass is no longer open to the public. Plans are underway for these events. Please watch for communication from your child’s classroom teacher. While we’d love to see you all in person, we cannot accommodate everyone as in the past. Information about the year will be provided for everyone through a variety of mediums. Please note there is no school on Friday, September 4 or Monday, September 7 in honor of Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend! Thank you for walking through the daily health screen for each of your children and taking their temperatures. Students and adults with a temp of 100.4 or higher are required to stay at home. Symptoms should be monitored and if they are consistent with potential COVID-19, your family physician should be contacted for advice about testing. Please remember to self-report to the school if you have tested positive for COVID-19, come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, or suspect you may have been exposed. A new COVID Decision Tree from the Minnesota Department of Heath came out on August 31st. We will be using this guide as we make decisions about responding to potential symptoms. You can access the Decision Tree HERE.
System News The Spirit Shop is open Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 p.m. and Friday mornings from 8:30-10:00 a.m. For more information, visit rcsmn.org/spiritshop Students in grades 5-8 can participate in band at their school (or at home if you have chosen to distance learn). ALL students are invited to join band. If you haven't played before and are interested in starting, now is the time to give it a try! For more information and to register, visit the links below. Please contact Ms. Hanson at whanson@rcsmn.org with any questions. Grade 5 Band Information Activities News Registration for Fall Clay Target Trap League. Any interested families with students in grades 7-12 should contact DeLane Morris at dmorr@charter.net or by phone at 507-269-3050. Deadline to sign up is September 12th, no exceptions. We hope everyone had a safe summer. In the next couple of weeks, a decision will be made in regards to our traveling basketball program. With the many changes and challenges we are facing, we have a difficult decision to make. Please pray for us as we navigate through this to ensure we have the resources to provide the safest and best opportunity for your children. Please be assured that everyone's safety is our number one priority. Further communication will be forthcoming once a decision has been made. All RCS students are required to wear masks when attending any home and away athletic events. Fall Training Sessions registration for Football and Volleyball is now open. These sessions are available to RCS students in grades 7-12. All participants will need to have a sports physical on file in the Activities Office prior to registration (email physical to activities@rcsmn.org). There is no cost to participate. Registration is required to participate. Click here to register. Safety precautions will be in place including wearing masks except when running, maintaining 6-feet physical distance when possible, daily attendance, and pods of 25 or less with no intermixing. Each participant will provide their own water and water bottle. There will be no access to the locker rooms. For more information on the steps we are taking to keep everyone safe, please read our PPE Plan and Expectations. Football
Volleyball Grades 9-12 - September 14-October 1; Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:00-5:30 pm As we prepare to cheer on our Eagle athletes we want to remind everyone that due to the limited number of spectators permitted at MSHSL events, the following rules have been established:
The Eagle Booster Club supports the general growth and development of athletics for students within RCS. Membership is comprised of RCS parents, alumni, community members, and businesses working together with goals to heighten, enhance, and enrich the athletics programs. Members promote and provide a high quality experience for students, coaches, directors, and fans through sponsorship opportunities, fundraising, and volunteer efforts. Eagle Boosters are passionate and committed to supporting the overall mission of RCS through support of athletics. Please consider joining the Eagle Booster Club by clicking here and becoming a member today! We are looking for coaches to work with our high school athletes. Positions open are JV Boys Basketball and JV Boys Hockey. To apply, click here. Calendar
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