Dear Families,
We have just begun the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a season of turning to God in simplicity and sincerity as we prepare to celebrate the joy of Easter. The three great practices are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Doing these three things and teaching our children to do the same will help us keep Lent as a holy season. This year we have once again chosen to focus our almsgiving efforts on Project Hope. Based in New Rochelle this dedicated group has helped the marginal in our local communities by distributing food from their pantry and outreach activities. Please help us in restocking their pantry with non-perishable food items; canned and boxed foods are needed. (Please no food that needs to be refrigerated.)
Catholic Schools Week
Our school enjoyed participating in Catholic Schools Week activities. The hallways were decorated with thank you notes to all who make our Catholic school a wonderful place to learn and grow. Families visited during Open House, attended our school Liturgy and joined Pre-K – 2nd Grade for lunch and recess, two students from each homeroom were recognized for “Take Pride In Your Uniform Day”, teachers were surprised with flowers at our school Liturgy, students collected change for Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center Check out our website for some pictures.
Catholic Schools Rally at Stepinac
On January 28th Catholic Schools of Westchester and Putnam participated in a rally to petition State Legislators to support us in our quest to receive funding for State mandated costs and the M.T. A. payroll tax that public schools do not have to pay. Check out our website and Catholic New York, February 11, 2010 p. 16 for pictures of our students who carried the ICS banner!
The Feast of The Immaculate Conception
The Feast of The Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation. School is in session until 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8th. Classes will attend Mass on December 8th at 9:30 a.m. This feast is most dear to us at ICS and all families are encouraged to attend Mass. Students should “Dress Up” in “Sunday Best” for the Feast Day. Jeans and sneakers are not permitted. After Mass students and teachers will gather in their School Family group. The teachers have planned a seasonal religious activity for the morning.
High School Acceptances
We are most pleased with our Class of 2010! We have much good news about high school acceptances and scholarship awards. Please be sure to send in any acceptance letters or scholarship award letters so that we can document and announce these results in the future. Wednesday, March 3rd is High School Registration day; dismissal for 8th Grade students will be at 12:15 p.m. on this day.
Applications and Re-Registration
Please remember to send in payment for re-registration for the 2010-2011 school year. First payment was due 1/26 with the balance due on 5/1. We continue accepting applications for new students and have added several Open House dates to our calendar.
Monday, March 1 - 6-8pm
Wednesday, March 3 - 9am-2pm
Monday, April 19 - 6-8pm
Tuesday, April 20 - 9am-2pm
Monday, May 17 - 6-8pm
Tuesday, May 18 -9am-2pm
Please spread the news to family members, neighbors and colleagues who may be looking for an excellent school for their children.
IRIS (Immediate Response Information System) and SIS ( Student Information System)
IRIS is the system we use to notify families of important information or emergencies. Generally it works very well. However this week many parents reported that they did not receive the notice on their cell phones even though previous messages were received. We are looking into this. In the meantime families are encouraged to log on and verify/update personal information:
Website: www.useiris.com
Username: Your child’s first initial and last name
Password: Your child’s birthday (00/00/000) no hyphen or spaces (e.g., February 2, 1991 should read as 02021991)
SIS is the system we use to record student records: grades, attendance, and family information. Families are encouraged to access this information on a regular basis. If you do not, your username and password might expire.
Website: www.adnysis.org
Username and passwords were previously distributed
If you have any questions on either of these systems, please email Mrs. Ranallo at eranallo@icschoolonline.org. She will be happy to assist you.
Thanks to all our families for your quick response to our IRIS alert sent Tuesday, 2/16. Only 10 students were not picked up by 3:00 pm. The purpose of sending the alert was to insure a safe pick up during a rapidly accumulating snowfall. We understand when an alert is sent with short notice, people may need to change arrangements or travel a distance to arrive at school. Never Worry! We will never leave your child unattended; some staff members will remain on site to wait for you. We just appreciate that you arrive as soon as possible. No one should risk an accident while driving in hazardous conditions!
ICS in the News!
Tuckahoe Mayor, Mr. John Fitzpatrick, invited our 6th Graders to participate in an essay writing contest about litter removal. The winners have been selected – Olivia Rogliano will serve as Mayor for the Day, and Samantha Telesco will serve as a Board Member at a televised town meeting on Monday, March 1st on the Tuckahoe Station, Channel 75. Tune in and enjoy the meeting. Congratulations Olivia and Samantha!
Student of the Month
Wednesday, February 25th- Confirmation Practice 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
Sunday, February 28th- Confirmation 2:00 pm.
Saturday, March 20th- Father Daughter Dinner Dance (Senator Jeff Klein will present a check in the amount of $100,000 for our gymnasium fund!)
Thursday, April 15th - Grandparents Day (changed due to a conference for Early Childhood teachers to be held on the 14th)
Sincerely,
Maureen J. Harten
Principal
