St. Joan of Arc School Happenings

St. Joan of Arc, along with the rest of the school's in the area, is off today because of the snow that falled last night. Now many inches did we get? My daughter, who attends SJOA, wanted to go out and play in it at 9:00 am! I'm sure that anyone who goes out to play today will have a great time. Some of my greatest winter memories are about the volume of snow and how long a sledding path could be. And of course, how high a jump could be made.

With the celebration of the birth of Jesus upon us, let us take some "guiet time." Mary Evangelista, our Christian Formation director had mentioned this to our class when putting our Advent Wreaths together. We have our "to do' lists that seem a mile long, make cookies, buy gifts, tend to the family, etc. that we take little time for our personal quietness to really remember what the season is about. May all of you have a Blessed Christmas as we truly remember that "Jesus is the reason."

It's been a very busy week at St. Joan of Arc.  Thursday Dec. 11th grades 1-4 attended  a performance at the Marcus Center of the Nutcracker. Then in the evening we had our wonderful Christmas Concert! Fantastic! We had singing, dancing, lots of reading from various students, bell ring and a visit from stanta. We also had some great solo's from students. What a talent group!

Today we had a Pep Rally to "rally" on our basketball teams for 6th and 8th grades.We also have lots of younger grades that compete on Ymca basketball  as teams of SJOA (St. Joan of Arc) . Go KNIGHTS!!!!

Also in exciting news we have one of our own writing a colunm in the Lake Country Living- Cynthia Luksich(SJOA parent and volleyball coach). Please look for the 'Cynthia Luksich's Cook's Corner' article. She had a wonderful reciepe for pot roast. We have  it on the record from our own principal that it was wonderful. Check it out!

Something to write on you schedule for the up coming week is on Dec. 20th Cathlic Knights is presenting Living our Faith with Archbishop Timothy Dolan. It  will be on Saturday at 11am WISN TV 12& Time Warners Cable's "Wisconsin On Demand". Check it out. It's a look at contemporary and traditional styles of liturgical music. Music as prayer. Guests:Lisa Kysley- archdiocesan liturgist, and Tammy Winn-award winning singer-songwriter and recording artist. LivingOurFaith.net

Thank you all SJOA parish members that helped fill underneath our giving tree. For the last couple of weeks we have had up a giving tree in the church lobby with angels. On those very special angels we had items that local people are in need of this season. I am happy to say all those angels found angels to supply them. In this time of great need I was never so happy to see a blank tree! Thank You! Thank You!

Enjoy your weekend! Blessing from SJOA!

St. Joan of Arc's Christmas Concert is December 11th at 6:30 this year. The kids are excited about this and really understand that 'Jesus is the Reason for the Season." Come and bring a friend.

The school children are each donating $2.00 and the money will be used to help a family in Waukesha have a food and gift-filled Holiday. There are many other needy families that will not have gifts or food at this time. Call the school office if you are able to help out with a donation.

Last week the Accreditation Team from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee came to St Joan of Arc to review the documentation that we had offered for consideration of full accreditation and Exemplary Recognition (Standards 1, 2, 3, 9). We will receive a report of commendations and recommendations within a few weeks.

The Library had eight tables that were “weighed down” with evidence of compliance with the ten standards of the accreditation process.

Standard 1          Foundational Statements

Standard 2          Communications and Community Relations

Standard 3          Climate of the School and Classroom

Standard 4          Governance

Standard 5          Human, Physical, Financial Resources

Standard 6          Curriculum

Standard 7          Instructional Media and Technology

Standard 8          Student Services

Standard 9          School Improvement Plan

Standard 10        Standards of Catholic Faith

It is with great happiness and pride that we can now announce that we have received full accreditation and Exemplary Recognition! We always knew that St. Joan of Arc was an exemplary school…but now others have noticed, as well.

In conclusion, it is time to say of each member of the St. Joan of Arc Parish School Family….Thank You for a Job Well Done!!!

Also in St Joan of Arc news we would recognize those students who achieved perfect attendance and honor roll for this first quarter! Great Job!!!

How can you expose kids to learning about new cultures, hobbies and skills in the Lake Country area?  By asking parents and friends of the community to step up and share their talents!   Thanks to their generosity, students at St. Joan of Arc will have the chance to be inspired to try something new during Adventure Day on Wednesday, April 30th. Here are some of the classes our parents will offer:

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a pilot?  Keith Kummer, a private pilot, will teach kids how planes fly, what a pilot does in a plane, and engage students in hands-on aviation activities.  Be prepared to watch your child soar during this activity!

Does your child love gymnastics and tumbling?  What kid doesn't?  Gymlingo Academy owner, Coach Tai along with parent Mary Manders, will teach kids new tricks and confidence through this fantastic sport! 

And speaking of sports...why not learn about the importance of strength and agility with Coach Ray, or self-defense and Tae Kwon Do with Coach Jin Lee? Not tired yet? Leap on over to learn about the benefits of dance with Kathy Klister.

Kids might need to refuel after those exhilarating activites!  Cynthia Luksich will impress our students with cooking a delicious Puerto Rican lunch, while Cathy Gilbertson will complete the meal by teaching kids how to make ice cream in a bag!  Yummy!

Want to teach your child how to appreciate their own surroundings?  Maybe a class with Linda Flint on interior design and decorating their room, or a class in graphic design with Brian Borkowski might help.

How can an Adventure Day be complete without learning about crafts?  Mary Miller will teach kids how to knit and make slippers, while Michelle Meyer will teach kids how to scrapbook, and Leisha Smith will inspire kids to make their own jewelry!   

To wrap up the festivities, the children's musical group, The Chickadees (as seen on Nickelodeon) will perform for the primary grades, and The Traveling Tennis Show will entertain and engage students in Grades 3-8 in interactive fun activities...all while learning tennis skills!

A Special thanks in advance to all the parents and friends who will make this a memorable day for students at St. Joan of Arc School.

See you on Wednesday, April 30th!

St. Joan of Arc School is currently accepting applications for the 2008-2009 school year.  For more information go to www.sjarc.org, contact Principal Mary Ann Rudella at principal.sjarc.org, or schedule to schedule a tour call (262)646-5821. 

Here are some upcoming events that will take our SJOA students into a much anticipated spring:

Annual Modern Woodmen of America School Speech Contest

Students in grades fifth through eighth will be participating in the Modern Woodmen of America School Speech Contest.  This contest helps students develop and exercise public speaking skills, as they prepare, practice, and deliver their 3-5 minute speech.  The topic for this year's competition is "An American Landmark," and, it does not have to be an officially local or nationally declared landmark. Students will be judged on the organization, delivery, presentation, and overall effectiveness of their speech.  The top eight school finalists will compete in April at St.Paul's in Genesee Depot.  Last year, Abbie Loeser, a St. Joan of Arc Parish School 2005 graduate, won the national competition! 

St. Joan of Arc Geography Fair

The St. Joan of Arc Geography Fair will take place on April 24th.  Fourth through eighth grade students will be displaying their art work, along with their geography research reports and displays.  Students are encouraged to pick a topic of interest.  Some topics include: reporting on a country, economic issues, how a bill becomes a law, tracing family history, using thematic maps, environmental issues, historical events...just to name a few!

Track Season Begins

The first practice for this year's season begins on March 30th at Hartland's Arrowhead Track from 3:00-5:00 p.m.  Students in grades fifth through eighth from SJOA, as well as students in Christian Formation are eligible to join. 

Bitty Basketball

All students in Junior and Senior Kindergarten have the opportunity to learn about basketball fundamentals and teamwork through this fun, extracurricular activity.  It begins in March and continues through the end of April. 

Adventure Day

Parents have the opportunity to share their talents and interests with students during Adventure Day on April 30th.  Several interactive, engaging sessions will be offered.  Our topics currently include: interior design, scrapbooking, ice cream magic, aviation, skiing, kayaking, graphics, dance, storytelling, and medical careers. 

In Wednesday's newsletter, Principal Mary Ann Rudella acknowledged how students will participate in the Lenten journey.  She stated, "At our last all-school Mass, Father Mike introduced our students to a Lenten focus.  He asked each of us to make a difference...not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of others in the larger community.  Our faculty will continue to instill the value of good sound stewardship, recognizing that all of life is a gift from God, who asks that we share with those in need.  We will participate in a Penny War so that Tongnoi Gitti at Sarnelli House in Thailand might have a quality education.  As we share our gift of stewardship with the larger community, we will begin at "home"...in our school...treating each other with respect and caring for our school environment...at day's end, we will leave our classmates with self-esteem intact and our school space as we found it.  As we ponder our Lenten journey, we feel confident that our students will truly make a difference in the lives of others in many faith-filled ways."

Middle school students will be learning about Electrical Energy and Circuit Design through hands-on experiences, thanks to middle school science teacher, Mrs. Weas.  Last summer, she attended a workshop by the Einstein Project in Green Bay, and is currently working on this exciting curriculum with students.