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“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (Campus Ministry-selected Bible verse for 2024-2025)

August 3, 2024

Dear Parent/Guardians: 

We were blessed with beautiful weather and a great turnout for yesterday's Cardinal Golf Classic at the Legacy! Thank you to everyone who participated and to our student athlete volunteers.

The start of 2024-2025 is right around the corner! We are looking forward to partnering with you in the formation of your sons and daughters in prayer, study, community and service. Our back to school packets will be mailed this week. Resources for the start of the year can be found on our website's back to school page (click here). Fall sports begin August 12 for high school students and August 19 for middle school students. Click HERE for fall sports information. Finally, a few families still need to set up their tuition agreeement in EduTrak (new system this year). Click here to get started; reach out to Lisa with questions. 

UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2024-2025 BA School Calendar

• August 7: BA Red Cross Blood Drive @ DMCC. Sign up to donate HERE
• August 12: Fall high school sports open - click HERE for BA and co-op sports registration information
• August 19: Fall middle school sports open - click HERE for BA and co-op sports registration information
• August 21: Parent open house, 5:30-7:30pm - meet teachers and staff, visit classrooms, tour BA - plan to join us!
• August 26 (9am-11:30 a.m.) Student Orientation
  • Seniors - arrive by 8:30 a.m. to pick your parking spot
  • New High School Students - 11:30a.m.-1p.m. Stay to eat pizza and receive your laptop.
• August 27: First Day of School! Tardy bell rings at 8:05 a.m.

BA JOB OPENINGS: Email if interested at: lmoon@bacards.org

• Part-time BA Van Driver
• Part-time Theatre Director
• Substitute Teachers & Kitchen Assistants

Find other great BA news on our Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Please reach out with questions. Prayers for a blessed last few weeks of summer!

Blessings, 
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Head of School

ALL BA UPDATES

Summer Band has Started! High school summer band camp has started, with more practices on August 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15^th from 3:30 to 6:00. Plan to meet in the band room. We will be going over our band handbook, working on pep band music, polishing our parade marching for Homecoming, and meeting new members of the band. If you cannot make it to one of the rehearsals, please let Mr. Lorence know. (email: Brad_Lorence@bacards.org) 

2024-2025 Parent Ambassadors: We are looking for grade-level parent representatives to serve as a liaison for each class with both the school and prospective families. Serving in this capacity fulfills the parent service hour requirement for the year. Find more information on the POINT BA page; click here for parent volunteer program information; contact Kris with questions. 

2024-2025 Back-to-School page: Click HERE 

Summer Office Hours: BA's front office is open Monday through Thursday, 9am-1pm, closed Fridays.

Red Cross Blood Drive - Wednesday, August 7
The Bethlehem Academy Student Council and Divine Mercy Catholic Church are hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, August 7 from 9am to 3pm at Divine Mercy Catholic Church.  Students aged 16 and older are eligible to donate.  Consider donating to help save lives!
Sign up for a time at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=Bethlehem%20Academy
Learn more about donating blood here

Fall Sports Registration
The fall sports season is just around the corner.  To register for football (grades 7-12) or volleyball (grades 6-12), please visit bacardinals.com and go to the More menu for registration form and activity fee payment.  The $140 activity fee may be paid online, by check or adding it to your EduTrak payment account.  Participants must also have a valid sports physical on file.  Sport physicals are good for 3 years from the date of examination.  Typically, students have sports physicals for 7th grade and 10th grade (or 6th grade, 9th grade and 12th grade).  

Please visit https://faribaultathletics.com/ for information on available cooperative sports (soccer, girls swimming, girls tennis, cross country running).  

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
     

Online BA School Calendar:
https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/

Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (Campus Ministry-selected Bible verse for 2024-2025)

July 26, 2024

Dear Parent/Guardians: 

We are beginning to gear up for the start of 2024-2025! Our maintenance team is hard at work cleaning the building and our concessions upgrade project is underway. Thank you to our parent volunteers who have been helping us with this project! We will be installing the concessions stand storage door and finishing painting on Monday, with carpet scheduled to be installed the end of next week. Find concessions project pictures and other great BA news on our Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Yesterday we emailed to you our updated 2024-2025 dress code policy. Click here for a copy of that policy plus all other back-to-school information - and don't forget to remind your son or daughter to be working on their summer read for English class! Finally, if you haven't already, please set up your tuition agreeement in EduTrak (new system this year). Click here to get started; reach out to Lisa with questions. 
 
Our final event of the summer - the Cardinal Golf Classic - takes place next Friday, August 2nd at the Legacy. This is a great day of fun and fellowship with fellow BA parents, alumni and supporters. Click HERE for more information and to register to play. Finally, please support our 8 SMART riders with a donation through July 31. Doing so goes directly to BA student scholarships. Click HERE to show your support for their ride. 

Finally, we are still looking for a few staff members to add to our team, including a driver for our BA van, choir teacher, theater director, math teacher, and substitute teachers & kitchen assistants. Find job descriptions HERE and help spread the word.

Thank you for your partnership!

Blessings, 
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Head of School

ALL BA UPDATES

Summer Band Starts July 30! High school summer band camp is on July 30^th and August 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15^th from 3:30 to 6:00. Plan to meet in the band room. We will be going over our band handbook, working on pep band music, polishing our parade marching for Homecoming, and meeting new members of the band. If you cannot make it to one of the rehearsals, please let Mr. Lorence know. (email: Brad_Lorence@bacards.org) 

2024-2025 Parent Ambassadors: We are looking for grade-level parent representatives to serve as a liaison for each class with both the school and prospective families. Serving in this capacity fulfills the parent service hour requirement for the year. Find more information on the POINT BA page; click here for parent volunteer program information; contact Kris with questions. 

2024-2025 Back-to-School page: Click HERE 

Summer Office Hours: BA's front office is open Monday through Thursday, 9am-1pm, closed Fridays.

Red Cross Blood Drive - Wednesday, August 7
The Bethlehem Academy Student Council and Divine Mercy Catholic Church are hosting an American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, August 7 from 9am to 3pm at Divine Mercy Catholic Church.  Students aged 16 and older are eligible to donate.  Consider donating to help save lives!
Sign up for a time at https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=Bethlehem%20Academy
Learn more about donating blood here

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
     

Online BA School Calendar:
https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/

Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 (Campus Ministry-selected Bible verse for 2024-2025)

July 22, 2024

Dear Parent/Guardians: 

We are humbled by the confidence extended by the Board of Directors in naming us interim Co-Head of School and look forward to partnering with all of you to continue our mission of providing a Dominican Catholic education following the pillars of prayer, study, community, and service to guide your sons and daughters toward personal, spiritual, and academic excellence. (Click HERE for the leadership announcement email from Board Chair Beth Dienst sent the morning of 7/122/24 for more information.)

As we plan for 160th year of academic excellence, we are excited to welcome the following members to the Bethlehem Academy team:

Grant Yackly, Assistant AD/Assistant Dean/Technology Integrationist: I am delighted to be joining the BA community. Most recently, I served as a Health and Physical Education Teacher at the Academy of Holy Angels. Additionally, I coached boys' high school hockey for two seasons and held various summer educational positions for New Prague Area Schools. I obtained my bachelor's degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato and am set to complete my master's degree next summer at the University of St. Thomas. I am dedicated to fostering a Christ-like environment in all my past and future endeavors, both personally and professionally. I am very excited about beginning at BA!

Tom Nardi, Middle School Theology Teacher: I am thrilled to join the BA community as the Middle School Theology Teacher! I'm from Prior Lake and attended the University of St. Thomas where I studied Theology and Catholic Studies. I spent the last year working and teaching at Brilla College Prep Middle School in The Bronx, NYC with the Seton Teaching Fellows program, and I’m excited to be back home! I’m an avid MN sports fan and watch all of the Vikings and Twins games, I also like to keep score/stats for the Twins as well. I’m excited to meet everyone and teach the students of Bethlehem Academy!

Nathan Bienias, School Counselor: I am excited to join you as your new school counselor for grades 9-12. I'm here to support you in achieving your academic goals and addressing your social and emotional needs. Originally from New Brighton, MN, I enjoy all things nerdy, including Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. My favorite band this year is Sleep Token. A fun fact about me is that I have a twin brother with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). My girlfriend and I bond over our love of cats, and she inspired me to get two kitties of my own - pictures available upon request. I look forward to getting to know each of you and helping you find success in your high school journey!

In addition, we congratulation Brent Zabel on his promotion to Dean of Students while we welcome the addition of Lindsay Bjorkquist, who - we learned late last week - will step in Katie Smith's position as middle school counseling support (see intro graphic at left). Stephen, as previously announced, will be on hand through the end of July before transitioning to a new counseling position at Lakeville South. Finally, we are excited to add Joe Zappa as our new nighttime custodian.

As we partner with you for the upcoming year, find a list of summer volunteer hours below - including a VERY flexible opportunity to earn hours by helping us prep and paint the concessions area for a much-needed refresh! If you haven't already, a reminder to please complete your tuition contract as soon as possible. Click HERE to log in. Find the purple tuition icon and follow the prompts to set up your contract. Thank you to those who have already taken care of this!  Please note any unpaid 2023-24 tuition will be added to your 2024-2025 tuition contract if not paid by August 23rd. Contact Lisa to make arrangements for payment or if there are any questions.  

Don't forget to sign up to join us for the Cardinal Golf Classic August 2nd at the Legacy. This is a great day of fun and fellowship with fellow BA parents, alumni and supporters. Click HERE for more information, including affordable sponsorship options to raise the profile of your company with our 100+ golfers. Support our 8 SMART riders with a donation through July 31. Click HERE. 

THANK YOU to the Simones and Casper family for their excellent work organizing and running the BA Cardinal Cafe fair stand. Their efforts, as well as the efforts of all of our student and parent volunteers, meant we had another successful week at the Rice County Fair! 

Finally, blessings and prayers to our colleagues at Divine Mercy Catholic School as they move into their new building on the DMCC parish campus. Find a link to help them move in the volunteer opportunities section below. 

Blessings, 
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Head of School

ALL BA UPDATES

JULY VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Parent Volunteer Program Information: Click HERE

See below for a list of parent and student volunteer opportunities this month. The concessions project help  is VERY flexible in terms of days and times!

• DMCS Moving Help (BA parents and students earn service hours) Click HERE to sign up. Self-report your hours in POINT; we will get a list from DMCS as well so as not to miss anyone! 
• Paint the Concessions Stand Monday, July 22! Help us save money on the concessions project and join us to prep and paint the concessions and bathrooms. A 2nd paint date is set for Monday, July 29. Contact Kris if you can help!

HOST FAMILY NEEDED: We are still seeking a host family for Daln, an incoming 8th grade girl from South Korea. Daln's favorite subject is P.E. and Art. She loves to make friends, work out, and aspires to become a cosmetologist. KoAm provides the host family gift of $500/month and provides additional student fund to cover all additional expense for the student. Boarding and transportation provided by the host family. BA provides a tuition credit, fulfillment of the parent service hour requirement, and a year-long home athletic passes. It is a wonderful way to bring a great cultural exchange within your own community! Please contact KoAm's local area coordinator Haewon Park at 612-234-1518 or haewon@koameduall.org.

Summer Band Starts July 30! High school summer band camp is on July 30^th and August 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15^th from 3:30 to 6:00. Plan to meet in the band room. We will be going over our band handbook, working on pep band music, polishing our parade marching for Homecoming, and meeting new members of the band. If you cannot make it to one of the rehearsals, please let Mr. Lorence know. (email: Brad_Lorence@bacards.org) 

2024-2025 BA School Calendar: Click HERE 

Student Summer Reading Assignments: Click HERE to find titles and reading guides for each grade and/or high school class for your sons and daughters. 

Summer Office Hours: BA's front office is open Monday through Thursday, 9am-1pm, closed Fridays.

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
  

Register for the Eucharistic Congress here: https://giving.parishsoft.com/App/Form/4cb0329e-b079-490f-a808-16c9d3c1d5b6

  

Online BA School Calendar:
https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/

Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/