Weekly School Broadcast Every year on December 8th, the Church honors the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This feast celebrates that the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Ann. Although each one of us was conceived and born with original sin, the Solemnity reveals that God makes it possible for all of us, by the grace of the Sacraments, to live a life free from sin. Under the special protection of Mary here at Lourdes High School, we come to know freedom from sin by allowing Mary to lead us to Jesus.
We were blessed to have Bishop John Quinn with us this past Tuesday to celebrate the Mass and to reconsecrate Lourdes High School to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We pray that the Bishop's coming, and Mary's protection, will lead us into this new year with increased rootedness in our community of faith.
Mary Spring Lourdes High School Principal
Academics Students are expected to report to school on their assigned day during the hybrid learning period. They are not to sign on to classes virtually unless they have arranged to be a distance learner with administration, or are quarantined and it has been reported to the attendance office. Failure to attend as assigned without notification could result in an attendance issue. If your child is ill, awaiting a test, or a family member or close contact is being tested, please be sure to keep your child home. Please notify LHS attendance and have your student contact his/her teachers so that he/she can get homework and/or attend class online. Due to the changing circumstances around us and in the school, the LHS student service requirement has been adjusted. Rather than the initial 5 hours of documented service per student per semester, each student will now complete 2.5 hours of service by January 23, 2021. Please see here for COVID-friendly community service ideas. Creative ideas for serving the community from the safety of one's own home are welcomed and encouraged. The service documentation form can be found here. Please contact Ms. Smith at ksmith@rcsmn.org with questions. 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.
Campus Ministry For the past 18 years, Lourdes has been matched with financially struggling families in the Rochester community to help provide these families with gifts and funds for Christmas celebrations. Students have been working to raise funds, make cards and write thoughtful messages to the families. If your family is interested in contributing to Adopt A Family, monetary donations are welcome until 12/18/2020.
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. We ask, even when your child isn't in school, that you communicate with the high school if your child has tested positive for Covid 19. 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. Monday: Favorite Christmas Movie Character Tuesday: Flannel Day *Shorts or skirts must be at uniform length, no ripped jeans or leggings, no baseball caps Looking for a fun activity to do with your family? Taher is offering unfrosted Christmas cookies with frosting on the side. $6 per dozen. Click here for more information.
Athletics The Tap House West End will be hosting a fundraiser for Lourdes Athletics on Wednesday, December 16th ALL DAY! 20% of food sales will be donated to Lourdes Athletics. Order online at taphousemn.com or call 507-361-3250. Victoria's Ristorante will be hosting a fundraiser for Lourdes Athletics on Sunday, December 27th ALL DAY! 20% of all food sales will be donated to Lourdes Athletics. Order online at victoriasmn.com or call 507-280-6232. The MSHSL approved potential start dates of December 21st, January 4th or January 18th for winter sports, dependent on the current Executive Order 20-99 as well as the Governor and Minnesota Department of Health future restrictions. If you have not already done so, please register here. Once you have registered coaches will have your contact information and will keep you updated on the status of start dates and practices. If you are interested in playing boys basketball this upcoming season and aren't registered, please email head coach Eric Larson at elarson@rcsmn.org to be put on an email distribution list and receive updates in regards to online meetings and workouts. One Act Play registration is open. All events will be done virtually by either submitting an in-person performance or performing via videoconference. One Act Play is open to all students in grades 9-12. The fee to participate is $55. Please register here. Questions should be directed to Mary Pyfferoen at mpyfferoen@rcsmn.org. Start your Christmas season off with a visit to Zumbro Valley Christmas Trees. Zumbro Valley Christmas Trees is a RCS family owned tree farm with Fraser Fir, Spruce, and Pine varieties. During the month of December, mention the Lourdes High School Music Booster fundraiser and Zumbro Valley Christmas Trees will donate $10 of your tree purchase to help support the LHS Music Department. Zumbro Valley Christmas Trees 58588 County Rd 7 Zumbro Falls, MN 55991 - 15 minutes north of Rochester, near Camp Victory Open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturdays and Sundays December 5-22.
System News The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will provide a prompt, appropriate, and compassionate response to reporters of sexual abuse of a child by any diocesan agent (employees, volunteers, vendors, religious or clergy). Anyone wishing to make a report of an allegation of sexual abuse should call the Victim Assistance Coordinator at 507-454-2270, Extension 255. Read more With the busiest shopping days ahead, be sure to pre-order your gift cards! Gift cards make great stocking stuffers and small gifts for friends, teachers, coaches, mail carriers, and more. The deadline for pre-order is Monday, December 14. Read more
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