Family Focus May 6, 2022
"But Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." Jeremiah 17:7 (Bible verse of the year chosen by Peer Ministry)
May 6, 2022
Dear BA Families:
It's May! Happy Mother's Day to all of the BA mothers. As we celebrate you, we are also honoring Mary. This week we began by joining DMCS for the Crowning of Mary at Mass. Along with Mass and prayers, BA will culminate our end of year events with the traditional Mary Ceremony the last week of school. Join us in praying the Rosary this month as we celebrate Mary.
END OF YEAR SCHEDULE CHANGES: Please note that the last week of school we have special schedules and two early release days.
- Wed, May 25: 1 p.m. is the BA Mary Ceremony - at the close of the ceremony, scholars are released. (Most likely 2:30 p.m.) Baccalaureate Mass is at 7:30 p.m. at DMCC.
- Thurs, May 26: Students will be released at 1 p.m. *Please note, there are golf, track and softball games, as well.
- Fri, May 27: The Awards Ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. Students grades 6-11 will be dismissed at 11:15 a.m. for the summer; No lunch will be served; Senior/Staff Brunch @ 11:15am; Commencement is at 7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium.
CELEBRATING RETIRING STAFF: Please send cards to send off Sue Jandro, Mary Herzog, Hugh McCusker and Cassie Kratt as they depart from our school family for retirement and other life adventures!
KUDOS: Thank you to all of the BA Board, Home & School and our parents for sending in treats, cards and flowers to honor our teachers this week! Congratulations to our FFA officers and members and special thanks to Casi Jensen in coordinting "Baby Animal Day."
UPCOMING EVENTS: Additional activities and sporting events online. Join us weekly at Immaculate Conception Church for Mass on Wednesdays.
- May 7: Prom - See details in the HS section below
- May 10: Spring Parent Survey deadline
- May 11: Spring Choir & Band Concert
- May 12: WIN Day
- May 17: WIN Day
- May 20: Middle School Lock-In
- May 25: Mary Ceremony, 1pm & Baccalaureate, 7:30pm
- May 26: Early dismissal at 1 pm
- May 27:
- Awards Day, 9:30 am
- 11:15 AM EARLY DISMISSAL/LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, Grades 6-11 (no lunch served)
- Senior/Faculty Brunch @ 11:15am
- Commencement, 7:30pm
- Click HERE for the 2022-2023 BA School Calendar
- Find our event school calendar on our website HERE
Prayers to support Ukraine and all of our BA mothers!
mreeder@bacards.org
ALL BA UPDATES
SUMMER CAMPS: We have several summer camps this summer for students ranging from grades 2-12, including volleyball, boys & girls basketball, football and robotics. Non-BA students welcome to attend! Find information and registration forms and get signed up at: Summer Programs
Earn Scrip Credit: Sell @ Masses! The DMCS Scrip Program is looking for people to sell Scrip after weekend Masses for the upcoming year (May 21, 2022 – May 14, 2023). The Scrip Program allows participating families the chance to earn tuition credit at Divine Mercy Catholic School and Bethlehem Academy. You will receive an additional $7 tuition credit in your Scrip account for each Mass that you sell Scrip. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Peggy Johnson at (507) 334-7706 Ext: 2206 or pjohnson@dmcs.cc as soon as possible.
Positivity Project Home Activities: To help extend the learning to your students' homes, we encourage you to share these P2 for Families resources with your students' families. The password is: P2- 6-8 | 9-12
TALK TO YOUR TEEN: MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES: We know that at this time we are seeing an increase in the mental health needs of our scholars. Find lots of great resources on the BA COUNSELOR'S CORNER webpage HERE. And Here is a link to Rice County resources.
HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION
PROM Saturday, May 7: Rustic Romance – PROM 2022 Information. SADD will be sharing special safety demonstrations with high school scholars this coming week. On Saturday, May 7, here is the schedule:
2:00 Pictures at Derham Farm (Barns at Crocker Creek)
4:15 arrive at BA
4:45 line up by the vending machines
5:00 Grand March
5:30 Senior/Junior couples load bus
6:00 Arrive at the Owatonna Country Club
6:30 dinner -- buffet style
7:30 – 11:00 Dance
11:00 load bus to return to BA
11:30 Arrive at BA
During pictures at Derham Farm and at the Grand March, Brent Zabel will be taking photos of each couple, groups of couples, and class photos; a link will be shared with parents.
Post Prom May 7-8: BA students and their guests are invited to attend Post Prom May 7-8, 2022. Permission slips must be signed and turned in to the BA Front Office by Friday, April 29. Click HERE for the permission slip plus event information.
June ACT Exam: June is the perfect time to take the ACT! Register by May 6 for the ACT test on June 11. There are 4 big advantages to taking the June ACT:- Students are still in "school" mode, so they're mentally warmed-up for testing.
- They've got plenty of time to submit applications for scholarships and schools if they meet their performance goals.
- If they decide to retest, they know the areas they need to work on.
- June is one of only three chances per year to purchase their Test Information Release (TIR) to help them prep. A TIR is an official copy of their questions, the answer key, and the answers they submitted.
Post-Graduation Plans & Scholarships: Seniors have been asked to enter their post-graduation plans and scholarships into their Naviance account. We need this information for the Commencement program. Please be sure they include the full scholarship names and whether it is a one-time award (i.e. value: $1000) or continuing scholarship (i.e. value: $5000/year for a 4-year total of $20,000). Scholarship names will be included in the commencement program; values are not public but will be tallied for a scholarship total earned for the Class of 2022. Encourage your senior to do so ASAP. Contact Shane Roessler or Kris Sauer with questions.
EXTENDED! Faribault Daily News Senior Section: The Faribault Daily News is inviting area high school seniors to submit information and photos to be published in a special section of the paper. To submit your photo and future plans, please use this form. The deadline to receive submissions is 11:59 pm, Sunday, May 8.
MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION
Click HERE to register!
JOB/COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Pregnancy Options Pancake Breakfast May 14: See flyer at left; tickets available at BA from Jen Robert '22. Americorps Jobs: A full description of the various positions can be found here, healthycommunityinitiative.org/americorps.
DIVINE MERCY CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND CHURCH
Registration for the Steubenville Youth Conference is now open! Open to grades 8 (going into 9th next year) and up. July 29-31 at the University of St. Thomas. Cost is $275 per person, $100 deposit to hold your spot. Register online HERE. Find the conference video teaser HERE.
Summer Youth Formation Programs! Summer Stretch and Totus Tuus registration is open! There is a program for everyone, grades 1-12! Teen leaders also needed. Find more information and register online HERE.
CALENDAR LINK
Click the link below for the school activities calendar.
Family Focus April 29, 2022
"But Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." Jeremiah 17:7 (Bible verse of the year chosen by Peer Ministry)
April 29, 2022
Dear BA Families:
Theater is back at BA! I hope that you are able to come out for one of the performances this weekend, April 29-May 1. BA Scholars are performing the play Clue at the Paradise Center for the Arts and the creative results are astounding. We are so blessed to partner with the Paradise and Patrick Braucher for this production. See you there!
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK-May 2-6: Join us in celebrating our dedicated teachers next week. You're invited to send in treats, share an email or drop off a card. Our teachers go above and beyond to educate and support our scholars as they live out the mission of BA. WE ARE THANKFUL FOR OUR TEACHERS!
TESTING COMPLETE: For the last two weeks BA scholars have participated in various tests. Our Middle School scholars take the NWEA MAP test, a national assessment in reading, language usage, math and science. Our 9th and 10th grade scholars took the Pre-ACT test. These results will be available to all families in the upcoming weeks. We are proud of our scholar's hard work throughout these exams.
SPRING STAFF CHANGES: Each spring staff share with administration their plans for the upcoming school year. It is with heavy heart that we announce that three staff will be leaving the BA family for various reasons and we will miss them: Sue Jandro, HS Math; Cassie Kratt - MS & HS Choir Director and Edward Wendt, Band Director. We also have two retirements to celebrate: Mary Herzog, our school nurse, and Hugh McCusker, one of our maintenance assistants. Please pray for these transitions and ask God to direct the right staff to BA!
KUDOS: To our Theater Director and scholars involved in this year's Spring Production of Clue!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Additional activities and sporting events online. Join us weekly at Immaculate Conception Church for Mass on Wednesdays.
- April 29-May 1: BA spring play, Clue, at the Paradise Ctr for Arts
- May 1: Family Rosary Procession from State Capitol to Cathedral of Saint Paul with the Diocese (Link)
- May 2: Daily Senior open campus begins
- May 2-May 6: Dress up days for Prom Week (Details below.)
- May 4: 8:30am Joint BA-DMCS Mass
- May 5: Student of the Month, 7:30am
- May 7: Prom - See details in the HS section below
- May 10: Spring Parent Survey deadline
- May 11: Spring Choir & Band Concert
- May 12: WIN Day
- May 17: WIN Day
- May 20: Middle School Lock-In
- May 25: Mary Ceremony, 1pm & Baccalaureate, 7:30pm
- May 27: Awards Day, 9am
- May 27: 11:15 AM EARLY DISMISSAL/LAST DAY OF SCHOOL (no lunch served; Senior/Faculty Brunch @ 11:15am)
- May 27: Commencement, 7:30pm
- Click HERE for the 2022-2023 BA School Calendar
- Find our event school calendar on our website HERE
Prayers to support Ukraine at this time, the Diocese has fundraising information: https://www.archspm.org/helping-ukraine/
mreeder@bacards.org
ALL BA UPDATES
Prom Week, May 2-6, Dress Up Days:
SUMMER CAMPS: We have several summer camps this summer for students ranging from grades 2-12, including volleyball, boys & girls basketball, football and robotics. Non-BA students welcome to attend! Find information and registration forms and get signed up at: Summer Programs
Earn Scrip Credit: Sell @ Masses! The DMCS Scrip Program is looking for people to sell Scrip after weekend Masses for the upcoming year (May 21, 2022 – May 14, 2023). The Scrip Program allows participating families the chance to earn tuition credit at Divine Mercy Catholic School and Bethlehem Academy. You will receive an additional $7 tuition credit in your Scrip account for each Mass that you sell Scrip. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Peggy Johnson at (507) 334-7706 Ext: 2206 or pjohnson@dmcs.cc as soon as possible.
Positivity Project Home Activities: To help extend the learning to your students' homes, we encourage you to share these P2 for Families resources with your students' families. The password is: P2- 6-8 | 9-12
TALK TO YOUR TEEN: MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES: We know that at this time we are seeing an increase in the mental health needs of our scholars. Find lots of great resources on the BA COUNSELOR'S CORNER webpage HERE. And Here is a link to Rice County resources.
HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION
PROM Saturday, May 7: Rustic Romance – PROM 2022 Information. SADD will be sharing special safety demonstrations with high school scholars this coming week. On Saturday, May 7, here is the schedule:
2:00 Pictures at Derham Farm (Barns at Crocker Creek)
4:15 arrive at BA
4:45 line up by the vending machines
5:00 Grand March
5:30 Senior/Junior couples load bus
6:00 Arrive at the Owatonna Country Club
6:30 dinner -- buffet style
7:30 – 11:00 Dance
11:00 load bus to return to BA
11:30 Arrive at BA
During pictures at Derham Farm and at the Grand March, Brent Zabel will be taking photos of each couple, groups of couples, and class photos; a link will be shared with parents.
Post Prom May 7-8: BA students and their guests are invited to attend Post Prom May 7-8, 2022. Permission slips must be signed and turned in to the BA Front Office by Friday, April 29. Click HERE for the permission slip plus event information.
Attention 9th & 10th Grade Parents: Pre-ACT scores are back! We are excited to share with you the results of the Pre-ACT tests that were taken April 5 and April 7. It is a lot of great information! Pick up their scores at an informational meeting on Wednesday, May 4, at 6:30pm in the BA gym. We will spend about 30 minutes reviewing scores, what it means now and what it means for the future.
June ACT Exam: June is the perfect time to take the ACT! Register by May 6 for the ACT test on June 11. There are 4 big advantages to taking the June ACT:- Students are still in "school" mode, so they're mentally warmed-up for testing.
- They've got plenty of time to submit applications for scholarships and schools if they meet their performance goals.
- If they decide to retest, they know the areas they need to work on.
- June is one of only three chances per year to purchase their Test Information Release (TIR) to help them prep. A TIR is an official copy of their questions, the answer key, and the answers they submitted.
Open Campus: Eligible Seniors have open campus every Friday from April 1st to Friday, April 29th. Starting Monday, May 2nd, open campus will be available daily for eligible Seniors.
Faribault Daily News Senior Section: The Faribault Daily News is inviting area high school seniors to submit information and photos to be published in a special section of the paper. To submit your photo and future plans, please use this form. The deadline to receive submissions is Wednesday, May 4.
MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION
Click HERE to register!
JOB/COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Pregnancy Options Pancake Breakfast May 14: See flyer at left; tickets available at BA from Jen Robert '22. Americorps Jobs: A full description of the various positions can be found here, healthycommunityinitiative.org/americorps.
DIVINE MERCY CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND CHURCH
Registration for the Steubenville Youth Conference is now open! Open to grades 8 (going into 9th next year) and up. July 29-31 at the University of St. Thomas. Cost is $275 per person, $100 deposit to hold your spot. Register online HERE. Find the conference video teaser HERE.
Summer Youth Formation Programs! Summer Stretch and Totus Tuus registration is open! There is a program for everyone, grades 1-12! Teen leaders also needed. Find more information and register online HERE.
CALENDAR LINK
Click the link below for the school activities calendar.
Family Focus April 22, 2022
"But Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him." Jeremiah 17:7 (Bible verse of the year chosen by Peer Ministry)
April 22, 2022
Dear BA Families:
CARDINAL STRONG! The the warm weather was welcomed at spring sporting events this season. Our teams showed strong results in both our coop sports and BA softball - way to go, Cardinals! Scholars also heard from Darrell Thompson, previous Green Bay Packer and President of Bolder Options. He shared insight into persevering through struggles through his personal story.
Merit-based HOBAN Scholarships for BA 9-12 Scholars: Looking for another scholarship opportunity to support your tuition costs at BA? Please encourage your scholar to take time to apply for the merit-based Hoban scholarship. Scholars entering grades 9-12 next fall are eligible and must write a short essay due by April 29 to be considered. (Apply Here)
Spring Parent Survey: As we plan for next year, we would value your feedback to make our school and community stronger! Please take our short parent survey found HERE by May 10.
SAVE THE DATE: April 29-May 1! BA Scholars are performing the play "Clue" at the Paradise Center for the Arts. Come support our theater students!
SPRING STAFF CHANGES: Each spring staff share with administration their plans for the upcoming school year. This year we have three staff moving on for various reasons and we will miss them - Sue Jandro, HS Math; Cassie Kratt - MS & HS Choir Director and Edward Wendt, Band Director. Please pray for their transitions and please ask for God to direct the right staff to BA!
KUDOS: To SADD for hosting our guest speaker this week and helping us pray for Ukraine each day during announcements.
UPCOMING EVENTS: Additional activities and sporting events online. Join us weekly at Immaculate Conception Church for Mass on Wednesdays.
- April 25-26: FFA scholars at STATE!
- April 26: WIN day
- April 28: Parent Close Up Trip Meeting, see info below
- April 25, 27-29: MS MAP Testing
- April 29: HS Hoban Scholarship application due, click HERE
- April 29-May 1: BA spring play, Clue, at the Paradise Ctr for Arts
- May 2: Daily Senior open campus begins
- May 5: Student of the Month, 7:30am
- May 7: Prom
- May 10: Spring Parent Survey deadline
- May 11: Spring Choir & Band Concert
- Click HERE for the 2022-2023 BA School Calendar
- Find our event school calendar on our website HERE
Prayers to support Ukraine at this time, the Diocese has fundraising information: https://www.archspm.org/helping-ukraine/
mreeder@bacards.org
ALL BA UPDATES
Close Up Trip Parent Meeting: Parents of rising grade 9-12 students interested in attending the Close Up trip to New York City and Washington, DC during spring break 2023 are invited to attend an informational meeting at BA Thursday, April 28, at 7pm in G9. BA advisor Dave Wollin and a Close Up program representative will be on hand to answer questions about this incredible program.
Earn Scrip Credit: Sell @ Masses! The DMCS Scrip Program is looking for people to sell Scrip after weekend Masses for the upcoming year (May 21, 2022 – May 14, 2023). The Scrip Program allows participating families the chance to earn tuition credit at Divine Mercy Catholic School and Bethlehem Academy. You will receive an additional $7 tuition credit in your Scrip account for each Mass that you sell Scrip. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Peggy Johnson at (507) 334-7706 Ext: 2206 or pjohnson@dmcs.cc as soon as possible.
SUMMER CAMPS: We have several summer camps, including robotics and athletics, and will be scheduling additional programs as well. Check out what's open for registration now! (Summer Programs)
Positivity Project Home Activities: To help extend the learning to your students' homes, we encourage you to share these P2 for Families resources with your students' families. The password is: P2- 6-8 | 9-12
TALK TO YOUR TEEN: MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES: We know that at this time we are seeing an increase in the mental health needs of our scholars. Find lots of great resources on the BA COUNSELOR'S CORNER webpage HERE. And Here is a link to Rice County resources. The Rice County Chemical and Mental Health Coalition's April message for parents is on Steve's Law. Under Steve’s Law, also known as the Minnesota Good Samaritan Law, any person who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing alcohol poisoning or a drug overdose cannot be prosecuted for possession of drugs or paraphernalia. Both the person seeking help and the overdose victim are protected from prosecution if they cooperate with law enforcement. For more information, visit ricecountycmhc.org/naloxone/.
HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION
Post Prom May 7-8: BA students and their guests are invited to attend Post Prom May 7-8, 2022. Permission slips must be signed and turned in to the BA Front Office by Friday, April 29. Click HERE for the permission slip plus event information.
June ACT Exam: June is the perfect time to take the ACT! Register by May 6 for the ACT test on June 11. There are 4 big advantages to taking the June ACT:
- Students are still in "school" mode, so they're mentally warmed-up for testing.
- They've got plenty of time to submit applications for scholarships and schools if they meet their performance goals.
- If they decide to retest, they know the areas they need to work on.
- June is one of only three chances per year to purchase their Test Information Release (TIR) to help them prep. A TIR is an official copy of their questions, the answer key, and the answers they submitted.
Open Campus: Eligible Seniors have open campus every Friday from April 1st to Friday, April 29th. Starting Monday, May 2nd, open campus will be available daily for eligible Seniors.
Faribault Daily News Senior Section: The Faribault Daily News is inviting area high school seniors to submit information and photos to be published in a special section of the paper. To submit your photo and future plans, please use this form. The deadline to receive submissions is Wednesday, May 4.
MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION
Click HERE to register!
JOB/COMMUNITY INFORMATION
Pregnancy Options Pancake Breakfast May 14: See flyer at left; tickets available at BA from Jen Robert '22. Americorps Jobs: A full description of the various positions can be found here, healthycommunityinitiative.org/americorps.
DIVINE MERCY CATHOLIC SCHOOL AND CHURCH
Registration for the Steubenville Youth Conference is now open! Open to grades 8 (going into 9th next year) and up. July 29-31 at the University of St. Thomas. Cost is $275 per person, $100 deposit to hold your spot. Register online HERE. Find the conference video teaser HERE.
Summer Youth Formation Programs! Summer Stretch and Totus Tuus registration is open! There is a program for everyone, grades 1-12! Teen leaders also needed. Find more information and register online HERE.
CALENDAR LINK
Click the link below for the school activities calendar.