ANNOUNCEMENTS • UPCOMING EVENTS • NOTEWORTHY ITEMS OF INTEREST
Announcements
A note from Sister Marie Isaac, OP:
Dear St. Vincent de Paul Parents,
I am happy to report that we have begun to settle into our regular routines here at St. Vincent de Paul. We’ve passed the yearly autumn milestones of Labor Day weekend, taking school pictures, our first cross country meet and the 8th grade retreat. And our 2023 Gala t-shirts came in this week! Now, we’re approaching our Feast of St. Vincent de Paul, the kick-off of St. Vincent de Paul Serves, Oktoberfest, and Parent/Teacher Conferences in a few weeks.
With all of this going on, we continue to experience staffing needs. From the beginning of the year, we have been covering our shortages by shifting people around internally and using our generous substitutes. It would be in the best interest of our staff and students if we can fill the following positions with additional people. I include this information in the Friday Forecast to keep you updated on the current needs. These positions are posted on our local and national job boards.
Open Paid Positions:
Full time 2nd grade Teacher – We continue to seek to fill this position.
Full time Middle School Math – For personal reasons, Miss Branecky needs to step away from teaching at this time. This position is posted and we are seeking another qualified teacher to take over the Middle school Math responsibilities and keep our students moving ahead.
Part-time Extended Care Aide – 2:45 PM – 5 PM – 2-3 days/week. We need at least two individuals. Wednesdays are our biggest need.
Preschool Assistant – 5 days/week to assist Mrs. Salazar.
Master Planning Round Table Schedule
Parish Round Table – September 20 – Gym – 6:30 – 8 PM
Join a round table discussion to give our architect feedback on what you’d like to see for the parish building enhancements and repairs.
School Round Table – September 21 – Gym – 2 – 3 PM & 6:30 – 8 PM
Join a round table discussion to give our architect feedback on what you’d like to see for the repair and expansion of the school. Both times will be the same content
Survey – Opens October 1
An in-pew and online survey will be made available for you to give additional feedback for both the school and parish buildings.
Minimizing Classroom Distractions
Research shows that it takes adults 23-25 minutes to recover from a distraction. You can only imagine the number of distractions that crop up during the day when you have 25 elementary students in a room. Some of these distractions we can minimize, some are more challenging. This is the main reason that we do not allow text/internet capable watches in the classroom. Even when these capabilities are turned off, the watch still lights up and can be a source of distraction. At St. Vincent de Paul, students may wear plain analogue or digital watches to school for time telling purposes. If they wear a text/internet capable watch(i.e. SMART, Apple, etc) they will simply be asked to put the watch in their backpack and keep it at home.
Got Milk?
Last day to order milk is TODAY – Friday, September 16th. Fill out this form to order for this school year.
Mark Your Calendar
There is no school on Friday, Sept 23, which is a professional development day for our teachers.
Mark Your Calendar’s – Feast of St. Vincent de Paul – SVDP Serves Commissioning Day – Sept 27
All Parents are invited to School Mass at 8:10 AM on the Feast of our Patron, St. Vincent de Paul. This day is also the kick off of our St. Vincent de Paul Serves Program. This intentional program gives our students the opportunity to be stewards of faith through education and the needs of others while creating partnerships with our community. More information and updates will be shared regularly in the Friday Forecast.
String Orchestra Class at SVdP!
Mrs. Smeltz is very excited to announce that SVdP is officially offering a Beginning Level String Orchestra Class after school this year at SVdP! The class will be offered on Wednesdays from 3-4pm in the school auditorium (music room) beginning Wednesday, October 5. This class is open to students in 4th-8th grade. We are partnering with Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) and their fabulous strings teacher Rinna Mai, who will be offering a Preparatory Level Strings Class in violin, viola, or cello. The course is offered for a very reasonable fee of $700 for the year, which includes the series of group lessons, 2 concerts, and an invitation to perform with CYSO at a Denver Nuggets game during the winter. CYSO has a great deal of experience offering extracurricular string instrument classes, and offers similar programs at other Catholic schools in the area. Instrumental Music is such a fundamental part of a child’s complete education and this is a wonderful opportunity for this program to be available right here at our beloved SVdP school. (Please note: we will need at least ten students registered!) Students will also need to provide their own instrument; rental instruments will be offered through Kolacny Music, with more details to follow.
Need more information?
General Questions – Ask Mrs. Smeltz ksmeltz@svdpk8.com
Registration/More Info on the CYSO Website: https://www.coloradoyouthsymphony.org/compass-montessori-st-mary-preparat
Registration Questions – Email Holli Young cysoholli@gmail.com
Athletics/CSAL
Congratulations to our Cross Country Teams!
Basketball Mandatory Parent Meeting (1 Parent required)
Monday September 19th
3rd-4th 6:00-7:00
5th-8th 7:00-8:00
Basketball Tryouts
Monday September 26
7-8 Boys 3:15-4:30
5-6 Boys 4:30-5:45
5-6 Girls 5:45-7:00
7-8 Girls 7:00-8:15
Home and School
Oktoberfest!
Join your SVDP school and parish community for the annual Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, Oct 1st from 5:30-8:00pm. Event will be held on the school’s lower playground and Columbine Street. The event is only possible with the help of volunteers! Thank you! Sign up here! Interested in participating in the Chili/Smoke Cook off? Click here for more information. This is shaping up to be a blast with a little spice!
Room Parent Volunteer Needed for Specials Teachers
We are still in need of 2 parents (of any grade/age kiddo) to help as the ‘Specials Teachers’ Room Parent. Please sign up here and reach out to Laura Camarella at lcamarella@gmail.com with any questions.
Parent Volunteers for Lunch
We are looking for parent volunteers to help in the lunchroom. The dates will be updated regularly so continue to check back and sign up! Click here for the link to sign up.
Parish Volunteer Opportunity – Coffee & Donuts!
After every Sunday 9:30 mass, SVdP parish hosts coffee & donuts. This is a great community event but it’s only possible with volunteers! For every set-up/break down, we need 2-3 person to help. Click here to sign up and click here to watch the instruction video. Thank you volunteers!
Save the Date – October 17, 2022 – “Parenting the Plugged-In Child” – Dr. Lana Gollyhorn
Lana Gollyhorn, child/family psychotherapist, will present a talk/discussion entitled “Parenting the Plugged-In Child”
Date- Monday, 10/17 at 7pm
H&S Newsletter
Did you miss the September H&S Newsletter? Have no fear, it is here!
2023 Gala Update – Let’s Play Ball! – News from the Dugout
News from the Dugout
Our SVdP Day at the Rockies is around the corner! For those of you cheering on the Blake Street Bombers with us on Sunday, September 25th, ticket pick-up will be on Monday, September 19th and Tuesday, September 20th at pick-up. Please find us at the lower playground gate at the corner of Arizona and Columbine. Tickets that are not picked up by Tuesday at 3:15 will be brought to the office for pick-up.
Please note that our first DUGOUT DAY is Thursday, September 22nd. Please have your child wear their gala shirts (and jeans if they would like!).
Please send any questions, comments or ideas to 2023svdpgala@gmail.com
PLAY BALL!
American Heritage Girls Troop – Meeting on September 20th
Now there is a Catholic alternative to Girl Scouts – American Heritage Girls at Blessed Sacrament Church in Denver CO!
We are looking to grow our parish Troop CO1912 of American Heritage Girls, a ministry of Blessed Sacrament Parish. While we welcome Christian girls ages 5 – 18 from any denomination, we are a Catholic Troop with the goal of forming girls of Christian integrity and virtue. Click here for more information.
Gospel of Life Presentation – RespectLife Denver
A NEW BIRTH OF HUMAN DIGNITY & CIVIL RIGHTS: Understanding the Dobbs Ruling on Abortion – Saturday, Oct. 22 – Presenters Louis Brown, JD Executive Director Christ Medicus Foundation & Sister Maris Stella, Sisters of Life – Full information HERE.
