Weekly School Broadcast "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" Martin Luther King Jr.
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to walk alongside the students in the National Honor Society (NHS) and their advisor, Ms. Brown, as they volunteered their time and energy to clean-up a stretch of highway in southwest Rochester. As we began walking along county road 104, I was struck by how much joy they seemed to glean from picking up trash. I watched as they competed to see who could find the most unique piece of garbage, the largest quantity of garbage, or who would be the first to find an expired animal. At first glance, it seemed as if their only goal was to fulfill the service component of the NHS. However, knowing these fine young men and women and watching them interact with one another, it became abundantly clear that they were there for each other and for the larger Rochester Community. They worked together to hold bags, to pick up trash, to encourage each other, and to be present to one another. This seemingly insignificant activity reminded me of all of the reasons I am eternally grateful to be part of Lourdes High School. The experience this past Saturday is representative of a greater good within our school community. All of our students, your sons and daughters, are forever mindful of the question and respond by joyfully "doing for others."
Mary Spring
Academics Lourdes High School is offering Family Tour Nights in November and December. Tours will last approximately one hour and are offered between 4:00 and 8:00 PM on the following dates: Tuesday, 11/17 Pre-registration, using this form, is required to reserve your spot. Please sign up for one spot for your family. Each family will have a separate tour so we can maintain a safe social distance from other families. You will see our state-of-the-art facility and hear about all the wonderful aspects of education we offer your child. Since COVID has changed the way we can share the Lourdes experience with our 8th grade students and their families. At this time, we do not anticipate being able to offer shadow visits or group visits during school hours this year. We encourage parents & guardians to bring their student along to learn about the Lourdes experience. If you have any questions about the tours, please contact us at (507)-289-3991. College Visits look a little different this year! Admissions Representatives are working to connect with students virtually to answer questions and provide information about their institutions. We are scheduling virtual visits during class meeting time and also some evenings and hope all students will take advantage of this opportunity. Upcoming visits include: Iowa State University, University of Iowa, St. Olaf College, St. John’s/St. Ben’s, Washington University in St. Louis, Luther College, University of Minnesota Duluth, and North Dakota State University. In addition to the visits that are scheduled just for Lourdes students, most colleges are hosting virtual sessions for all high school students. We have been sharing information about some of these opportunities with students via their Counselor’s Google Classroom Pages. Click here if you’d like to see an example of what is being shared with students. If your student must quarantine due to a possible COVID-19 exposure, or is awaiting the results of his/her own test, please notify LHS attendance and have your student contact his/her teachers so that he/she can get homework and/or attend class online. Here is the link to the reopening plan. You may want to check it periodically for changes, we will do our best to communicate what those changes are.
Athletics Registration for winter sports is now open. Season start dates for all levels grades 7-12 are as follows: Boys Basketball - November 23 A valid sports physical must be on file in the Activities Office prior to registration. If one is not on file, please email it to activities@rcsmn.org. Click here to register.
General As we see Minnesota and Olmsted County COVID-19 cases increase, we are asking families to please continue to follow the MDH Decision Tree when assessing their student’s health status. If you decide to keep your child home, please include the symptoms that your child is experiencing when you call the school or email lhsattendance@rcsmn.org. If your child has one of the more common symptoms (temp greater or equal to 100.4,new onset/worsening cough, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell) OR two less common symptoms (sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, excessive fatigue, new onset of severe headache, new onset of nasal congestion or runny nose) we are going to request that your child have a COVID-19 test before they return to school. As COVID continues and flu season begins, we all need to continue to be cautious and do what we can to protect fellow students and staff so we can safely stay open. On Monday, November 2nd, we began using lockers for outerwear ONLY. As the cold weather approaches, we want students to be able to have a place to store their jackets, coats, sweatshirts, or any other piece of clothing that is not part of the approved uniform. To keep with the uniform policy and to prevent many people congregating in one space, we are asking that they store their coats in their lockers in the morning and retrieve them at the end of the day. To ensure social distancing, we are asking them to refrain from visiting their lockers during the regular school day. Seniors received a packet of information from Josten's to order caps and gowns. Click here to get to the Josten's Lourdes order page. Orders were due on 10/30/2020, if you have not ordered your students cap and gown please do so ASAP. If you are interested in reviewing larger packages offered by Josten's, please click here. If you checked out any books or other items from the Lourdes High School Library/Media Center that were due between March - September, 2020 please remember to turn them in NOW. Any overdue or lost fees will be waived up until November 1, 2020. After November 1, 2020 lost fees will apply.
System News We are very proud of our students, teachers, and staff at Rochester Catholic Schools and encourage you to tell others what makes an RCS education so exceptional! Invite your friends and neighbors to sign-up for one of our upcoming tour nights for preschool, kindergarten, or high school. Read more at rcsmn.org/tournights. We are counting on YOU! Please join us for the 5th Annual RCS Day of Giving on Tuesday, November 17. This year’s event will be a little different due to the current restrictions, but we know we can depend on you to be part of this special day! Learn how you can show your continued support for our students, teachers, and staff at rcsmn.org/dayofgiving November Spirit Shop hours are: Now more than ever, Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County Public Health, Olmsted Medical Center, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend all people 6 months and older get vaccinated for the flu to protect themselves and others from getting the flu. For resources and more information about getting your flu shot, click here. Calendar
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