Current Newsletter

The Stroudsburg Area School District will be hosting the free H1N1 Flu Clinic on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009, and Saturday, December 5th, 2009. Students received informational packets and consent forms in school Tuesday.

Courtesy Awards: Kyle John, Joseph Fiorenza, Thomas Kenny, Benjamin Rossiello, Raehannah Forbes, Gianna Roselle, Aarti Katara, Layla DeFino, Morgan Flynn.

Gertrude Hawk candy orders are due tomorrow. Please place orders in your child’s brown envelope tonight.

All are welcome to pray the “Stations of the Cross” with us each Friday in Lent at 9am in St. Matthew’s Church.

March is “music in our schools” month. We will celebrate by having two talent shows. Students in KB and grades 1 and 3 will perform on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, at 1pm in the Cafeteria. This talent show is for the children only. Grades Montessori Kindergarten, KC, grades 2 and 4 will display their talent on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Again, this is for students only as we do not have a big enough cafeteria to invite parents.

Our annual Spring Book Fair will be the week of March 8, 2010 through March 12.

Yearbooks may be ordered now. Order sheets went home 2 weeks ago. Yearbooks are discounted at $17 until April 16^th at which time the price goes to $20.

Edline Notice: Parents should be checking their child’s progress and attendance on Edline daily. Edline can be accessed by going to www.edline.net. Activation codes were sent home last year and the user name/password you set up are to be used. Anyone needing the Activation Code or their password reset should send a note in to school, to the attention of Mrs. DeRoo, or email Mrs. DeRoo at teachers@ndelementary.org.

Please continue to send in your Mr. Z register tapes, Campbell soup labels, small printer cartridges, Box Tops for Education and Capri Sun pouches. Thank you for all you do for Notre Dame!

Used uniform sale is scheduled for Thursday, March 25, 2010, from 2:30 – 5pm. If you have any uniforms, which you want to donate, please send them in to the office. Thank you!

NOTRE DAME STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THE SWINE FLU VACCINE THROUGH THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOL DISTRICT CLINICS. WHEN THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE, THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL SEND OUT LETTERS DETAILING WHERE, WHEN, AND HOW THE CLINICS WILL TAKE PLACE. VACCINE INFORMATION AND PERMISSION FORMS FROM THE PA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH WILL ALSO BE SENT HOME AT THAT TIME.

Catholic Corner

This week we began the Liturgical season of Lent. It is a time of conversion and preparation for our celebration of Easter, much like how the Church gives us the season of Advent in preparation for Christmas. We try to mirror, in a modern form, the forty days of preparation, prayer, and fasting that Jesus undertook before beginning His ministry in the world.

Lent is an excellent time for us to come to a screeching halt in our busy lives and re-orient our lives placing God as our central focus. We can accomplish this through small acts that can reshape our lives. We can make a deliberate effort to improve our prayer life with better Mass attendance, maybe we could incorporate small sacrifices throughout the season, or perhaps we can endeavor a small, but conscious, daily act of kindness that will surely change our hearts over time.

Whatever form our Lenten journey takes, it is always a journey towards Calvary, and through Jesus’ crucifixion, to the Risen Christ. How blest are we that our God offers us an opportunity each year to walk with Him through suffering and change, to arrive on Easter morning, a new creation in His love?

Flu season is upon us once again. The media has reported that there are several confirmed cases of H1N1(Swine Flu) in Monroe County. Parents are reminded to teach their children to take precautions and use proper hygiene (proper washing of hands and cleanliness) at all times. Sick children should be kept at home to prevent the spread of illness. Click the link below to read notices and information about the flu from our school nurse and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Notre Dame Elementary School follows East Stroudsburg Area School District for closings and early dismissal. If East Stroudsburg School District is closed, Notre Dame Elementary School is closed. If East Stroudsburg dismisses early, Notre Dame must dismiss early.

If you live in a school district other than East Stroudsburg, and your particular school district is closed or delayed, your school district busses will either not be running or delayed. If your school district is closed and we are open, you are responsible to transport your child to and from school that day. Please do not risk driving in inclement weather. In that case, just call us to let us know your child will not be in school.

Please pay attention to TV, radio or our website for early dismissals. If the forecast for the day is poor, do not assume that just because we are in school in the morning, that the school will remain open the entire day. Please stay tuned on those occasions for any chance of an early dismissal. Notre Dame Elementary School will not be responsible to call every family to notify in case of an early dismissal.

If you would like to receive a phone call in the event of an early dismissal, please fill out the form in the brown envelope today to join the parent-run “Phone Chain” for early dismissal. Please be sure to make emergency arrangements for your child in the event of early dismissal. There should always be a back-up plan in place.

Dear Lord, continue to bless our
Catholic Schools. Help them to
continue to be a source of wisdom
to learn about Your love for us.
May all who enter their classrooms
be filled with the gift of Your
Holy Spirit and come to know
You in a more meaningful way.
May Catholic education grow
so that Your good news can be
taught to children from all
around Your world. Amen.