St. Mary's Visitation Virtual Backpack

Congratulations to our 8th grade Boys Volleyball team for winning the Seton tournament. They beat Holy Apostles in the championship game. Way to go boys!!

This is the time of year that we have snacks and treats coming to school. I just want to remind families that we have many students that have life threatening allergies to tree nuts and peanuts. Please be mindful if there are students in your child's classroom that have these allergies. Check the link for nut free snacks. We want to keep everyone safe.

Now that the weather is turning colder we just want to remind you of our school closing policy.

St. Mary's Visitation School observes the closing of school if this decision is made by the Elmbrook School System. St. Mary's also reserves the right to make an independent decision on school closings based on their discussion with the quad schools. On any morning when the weather is such that a parent might question whether school will be in session, the parent is advised to check with WTMJ RADIO 620a.m. and/or TV 4 or the Elmbrook website, www.elmbrook.k12.wi.us.

Office Notes

Reminder there is school today with conferences tonight. No School on Friday. Conferences on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. First quarter conferences are required for all students and parents. If you haven't signed up there are a few spots left. Remember ONE TEACHER PER STUDENT.

Picture re-take day is November 13, 2012. If you are unhappy with how your child's photos turned out, please bring back to school the packet of photos on November 13, and there will be a photo retake.

CMH President Fr. Hartmann at SMV Nov. 12

Thinking about Catholic high schools? Join Catholic Memorial High School President, Fr. Paul Hartmann, for an informative and informal evening Monday, November 12, 7pm at St. Mary's Visitation Parish Atrium. Find out what makes CMH one of the nation's top 50 high schools. Meet current CMH parents, along with Fr. Hartmann, Dr. Bob Hall, Principal, and Mr. John Burke, coordinator of the International Baccalaureate program and coach of 2011 WIAA state champion girls soccer team. Refreshments will be served. For more details, contact Ellen Mary Raster [email protected], Molly Berens [email protected] or Robin Miller at [email protected]t

SMV Families, Friend Us on Facebook!

St. Mary's has been providing excellence in Catholic education for 153 years! Help us get 153 likes on our Facebook page! Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/smvgradeschool or simply click on the Facebook icon! Spread the good news about St. Mary's Visitation!

Make sure to check out the links. New things arrive all the time that you may be interested in.

Mr. Newman's 7th grade class won the limo lunch from having 100% class participation in the Home & School Magazine Drive.

Home & School News

Please join us at Culver's in Elm Grove on Monday, November 12th. 10% of sales all day with a special voucher will go to St. Mary's Home & School. Vouchers will be sent home with each student this week. Please consider using SCRIP to double the fun! There will be drawings for prizes if you are spotted using SCRIP.

Home & School would like thank our Spooks & Spoofs chairs for a spooktacular event! Sara Sinense, Katy Oberst and Sara Weigel really outdid themselves. Loved the wrist bands and the new games! This is a big evening to pull off with a lot of hours behind the scenes. Your hard work is truly appreciated. A great time was had by all. Thank you! Thank you!

Scrip

Don't forget to purchase your Scrip giftcards for Culver's Fundraiser, November 12 and Barnes & Noble Bookfair Fundraiser, November 28.

Barnes & Noble Bookfair Fundraiser

Join in the fun at Barnes and Noble Bookfair fundraiser at Brookfield Square on Wednesday, November 28th. Christmas is quickly approaching! Why not come to Barnes and Noble during the bookfair to complete some of your holiday shopping while at the same time giving back to St. Mary's? A lot of events highlighting our school are planned for the evening from 5-8:00pm to make your shopping experience more enjoyable. Come listen to storytime with Father Peter, Mrs. Tretow and our K4/K5 teachers. I am told Father Peter may even come dressed in character! Stay to hear the awesome skills of our Forensics team, join in with Mrs. Rodig as she and a group of our very own singing students lead us all in Christmas carols! While you let your singing voices rest, you can test your knowledge of trivia as Mr. Falk and the Quiz Bowl team entice us with their wits! The school will also be getting a percentage of the sales made at the cafe of Barnes and Noble. Why not have a coffee or sweet treat while participating in a scavenger hunt, making a craft with a Girl Scout or having your picture taken as a Magic Treehouse character? Prizes will be awarded throughout the night and the winning family scavenger hunt form will receive a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card!

Can't attend the fundraiser that night????? You may still shop BN.COM/bookfairs to support SMV online from 11/28/12 to 12/03/12 by entering our Bookfair ID 10900959 at checkout!

Market Day - Donate it or Enjoy it!

November is Pie Bonus Days, and we're offering an opportunity for anyone to buy a pie and enjoy it or donate it to members of our school/parish community who are elderly, shut in or may be going through some difficult times. See the attached flyer for details.

Orders may be placed on-line or returned to the school office. Paper orders must be returned to the school office by October 26; internet orders must be placed by 10:59 p.m. on October 27. Pick up is Wednesday, October 31 from 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the Senior Center. Any questions, please contact Therese Flanner or Patty Steigerwald.

Check out Home and School's first quarter news letter. It is a link under Home and School.

Parish Notes

Archdiocese Year of Faith Video Series

We want to make you aware of a very exciting initiative that the Archdiocese is working on for the Holy Father's Year of Faith: an archdiocesan sponsored video web series about the Catechism of the Catholic Church, titled "C4: Ignite Your Catholic Faith." This series features Auxiliary Bishop Donald J. Hying and can be viewed at www.archmil.org/year-of-faith.htm. There is a brand new video each week through November 2013. This is a perfect opportunity for faculty, staff, students and school families to learn more about their Catholic faith via the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Christian Women Join Forces to support our Military!

During the month of November there will be bins in the Atrium and back entrance of the church to collect the "most frequently requested items" for our military. These items will be taken to Hunzinger Construction where they will be assembled into care packages by November 30th. Items most needed are personal letters, holiday items, beef jerky, Chex mix, nuts, trail mix, Gatorade powder, Crystal Light on the go, any snack food, after-shave lotion, soft toilet paper, Q-tips, Listerine pocket packs, toothbrushes and toothpaste, sunglasses, bandanas, microwaveable meals, desserts, stationary, pens and pencils. Small toys, such as Happy Meal toys and school supplies, are in demand to pass out to local children by our troops.

In addition, there is a need for help in sorting, labeling and assembling the care packages at Hunzinger Construction headquarters in Brookfield. If you are interested in that effort, please contact Frank Falsetti at [email protected] or 262-780-9157 or Jean Kelly at [email protected]. What better way to get in the Christmas spirit!

Voting at SMV on November 6th