1/24/2024
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1/24/2024Dear SLS families,Your involvement in SLS activities (CSW) and fundraisers (Paws to the Wall) is crucial for fostering a supportive educational environment. Attending school events provides parents with insights into their child's academic and social development.It allows whole families to engage with teachers, understand the curriculum, and build a strong rapport with the school community. Moreover, active participation in fundraisers contributes to enhancing the quality of education by providing additional resources and opportunities for students.These funds often support extracurricular activities (The Little Mermaid), educational materials (MakerSpace), and improvement projects (Stage Curtains) that directly benefit the learning experience. Additionally, parent involvement instills a sense of community and teamwork (Tricky Tray), creating a positive atmosphere for both students and educators. Ultimately, the collaboration between parents and the school plays a pivotal role in shaping a well-rounded and successful educational journey for our children.For this reason, I hope you will participate in as many CSW activities as possible this year.Respectfully,Mark ShultzUpcoming Events1/28 - SLS Open House1/28 - 2/3 Catholic Schools Week2/2 - Early Dismissal - 12:15 Pick up Aftercare until 3 pm2/7 - Instrumental Music Concert (Details to Follow)Catholic Schools WeekCatholic Schools Week is one of our favorite times of the school year. We come together to celebrate our Faith and St Leo's Parish, our School Community, our Nation with various dress-down days, themes, and activities. Please see the attached calendar to see whatSLS has planned for this exciting week.CHANGE TO LITTLE MERMAID MOVIE EVENT!!!!Due to the anticipated inclement weather on Friday, January 19th, the Little Mermaid movie event was postponed to Tuesday, March 26th.Families can still order tickets and/or request a refund. For refunds, please email gedelman@stleosschool.
org Order tickets here - CLICK HEREREGISTRATION FOR THE 25-25 SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW OPEN!Testimonials Needed for SLS WebsiteWe are so fortunate to hear wonderful things about our school, staff, and students from our families and local community members. We would love to share your testimonies on our website.If you would like to share a short 2-3 sentences about why you love or chose SLS, please email the school office. We would love to hear from all members of our SLS Community, past, present and future families, teachers and students.Just send your blurb to schooloffice@stleosschool.org
Thank you!
FUNDRAISERS
Tricky Tray Committee - All hands on deck! We are gearing up for our biggest fundraiser, so please make sure to keep a look out for any emails requesting donations, volunteers, etc. You will see amils coming home from class parents regarding Tricky Tray donations.As noted last Spring, St. Leo's School Tricky Tray, organized and run by SLS parents, made a historic profit of $30,597. Thank you all for your generosity.To achieve this level of success again this year, we ask all of our SLS parents to commit again to the planning and preparation for this pinnacle event.Tricky Tray Volunteer Sign-up FormClick here to volunteer https://forms.gle/3pZ5iRSRfuDjdC8X7 MULTICULTURAL DINNER - ORDER YOUR DINNER NOW - see attached flyer for more information. This is the first of many multicultural menus. Please submit your favorite cultural treat for our community moving forward.Valentine’s Grams - hosted by SLS Student Council - have a Valentine’s Day duck and/or mini teddy bear delivered to your child on Valentine’s Day. Students can send them to each other as well—limited quantities. See the flyer for more information.3rd Annual Paws - One of our most successful fundraisers is back for a 3rd year. Proudly show your SLS pride by purchasing a small or large paw to be displayed in the lobby. Details below.Mermaid Movie Night - Tuesday, March 26 - SLS is hosting a movie night to support our “Little Mermaid Musical.” Students can choose to view the classic version or the newer release! See the attached flyer for more information.Spirit Wear - Please see the new easier order form attached https://forms.gle/BKEvZs7amDGuBmpk7 SLS LUNCH PROGRAMThe first come, first serve was stated for emergencies only. We do not have enough extra pizza to cover those who simply have pizza, although they missed the deadline. Moving forward, we ask all families who missed the deadline to please send their child to school with lunch and money to purchase pizza. If we have enough surplus on that day, we will sell the extra slices available.Francesca's Lunch Program: https://elmwoodparkpizza.com/st-leos- lunch-program NO PIZZA WILL BE SERVED ON HALF DAYS.Please remember, SLS does not allow FAST FOOD, GrubHub, Uber Eats, or ANY FOOD DELIVERY service to students. If you are in a situation where you forgot lunch, students will be provided with a muffin and juice. If you need to drop something off, sandwiches, bagels, and salads are acceptable. Thank you for understanding.Thank you to everyone who donated to our MakerSpace. Student Government has been working hard to make this a fantastic space for all of our students. We look forward to showing off our new space during Catholic Schools Week.Donations will continue to be accepted throughout the year to replenish supplies.Apply Now for Your 2024-2025 Scholarship...Please be advised that the application deadline for Tri-County Scholarship Fund scholarships is February 15, 2024. Applicants must submit their 2022 1040 forms and 2023 W-2 forms to complete their application. The application process is open and can be accessed at:For more information, contact [email protected]VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDLittle Mermaid Volunteers - Click hereTUITION PAYMENTS:January payments are coming due; if you still have issues with Smart Tuition or payments, please contact the school office.“THE LITTLE MERMAID” PLAY PRACTICEPlease see the attached updated practice schedule for all cast members of the play. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. N at anarmontaite@stleosschool.org Housekeeping Items (PLEASE CHECK FOR ANY ADDITIONS OR UPDATES):Email Correspondence - It is beneficial to our school staff and teachers to include your child's name and grade in your correspondence; many families have different last names or just provide an email, making it difficult to determine who the child is.School Payments - Please be sure that all payments to the school are separate; we cannot make changes, and monies go to different organizations (HSA, School, Classroom, Sports Group, etc.) Any funds received as a "grouping" or need will be returned to the family. We will assume any extra money is a donation.Deadlines - We cannot express enough the need to adhere to deadlines and cut-off dates. Starting October 1st, any payments, notices, etc., that are received after a deadline will be returned to the student. Our school, parents (HSA), and teachers work very hard to ensure that fundraisers, lunch orders, etc. are correct. When deadlines are not followed, mistakes may be made.Nut-Free School - Remember, SLS is a nut-free school. Parents should check the contents of their lunchables and other pre-packaged items. We want to ensure the safety of every child.Visitors to the school - all visitors to the school, including parents, HSA, vendors, etc., must sign in at the front desk and receive a visitor's badge. It just provides us another level of safety for our students and staff to be sure that anyone who is visiting the school is allowed to be there and, in the event of an emergency, an accurate audit of who is in the building.Aftercare - This service begins at 2:45 daily and ends 6pm. Parents must sign out their child at pick up and pay promptly the day after receiving their statement.Late Arrivals - Any student arriving after 8 AM without previous authorization will be marked late. ALL Parents MUST come into the building and sign their child in; students are not permitted to sign themselves into school.Daily Drop Off - 7:45 - 8:00 AM Thank you for driving safely and being on time.Recess Equipment: Students can bring their recess equipment daily; however, it must be safe and approved by the student's HR teacher and shared at Recess. SLS is not responsible for lost equipment (i.e. balls in a dumpster or on the roof of the building).PowerSchool Access - All students have a PowerSchool account. This is where you will check grades, progress reports, report cards, etc. New students will be provided access to PowerSchool within the first week of school.Drop-Off Guidelines We have received many positive comments about the increased safety of our new drop-off procedure. I have a few requests to ensure that it remains timely since being on time is a Life Skill that will serve your students well moving forward.1. Please drive all the way to the end of the building (Last Year's Lower School Entrance). "Stairwell B" gives Middle School students direct access to their classrooms. Having them walk a short distance further to their homeroom upstairs will help expedite the drop-off process. Another option would be to drop your children off before entering the line so they can walk independently on the sidewalk into the building.2. Currently, we have cones to mark the drop-off path; as soon as weather permits, we plan to paint a line marking this drop-off path. For safety reasons, we ask that you only allow students to exit from the passenger side of your vehicle (nearest the building) and that you do not try to pass a stopped car.INCLEMENT WEATHER NOTICE - Please note that we DO NOT USE robocalls. All inclement weather and/or emergency closings will be sent to your email no later than 6 am the day of the closure. In most situations, we will close the evening before. In addition, all closures will be listed prominently on our website.PARKING REMINDER - Please see the important notice from Chief Foligno regarding parking around St. Leo’s School. Please be sure to adhere to Elmwood Park’s parking guidelines.