Family Focus 9/6/24
09/09/2024
Kris Sauer
September 2024, 2024-25
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September 6, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardians:
The school year is in full swing! We hope your sons and daughters are settling in and getting used to the routine of school. We are here to help, so please do reach out if there is any way we can support you.
The next few weeks will be busy with lots of great events and opportunities for our students to grow in our Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community, and service. See below for more information on our annual school-wide service day next Wednesday, September 11 - and please consider donating to the service day drive for St. Vincent de Paul, one of our service sites. We'll be collecting canned goods, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste - send contributions in with your students by next Wednesday. BA volleyball and football teams are raising money for cancer through their Dig Pink/Tackle Cancer events. Order shirts and hoodies by September 11 and plan to participate in the games on September 17 and September 20. Finally, homecoming is just around the corner! See below for themed dress days September 23-27 and homecoming activities on September 27, including the pep fest, coronation, and parade (new route this year). Go, Cardinals - Wrangle the Wildcats! See below for all the details.
In other highlights: We are looking for a host family for an accepted 8th grade girl from So Korea who will be arriving hopefully late September. Please consider opening your home to this student! Find more information below. The Vex IQ Robotics program begins with practices on September 16. This is great club open to all BA students. Click HERE for the registration form and more information.
The week ahead:
UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2024-2025 BA School Calendar
- September 11: All-school Student Service Day & St. Vincent de Paul donation drive (see below)
- September 13: 1st United Bank Jr Board of Directors applications due (juniors and seniors)-see info below
- September 16: Vex IQ Robotics Team first meeting. Click HERE to sign up.
- September 17: Dig Pink/Tackle Cancer pink dress down day fundraiser; Dig Pink events at home VB games. Order gear HERE by 9/11 at 11:59pm
- September 20: Tackle Cancer event @ home football game
- September 21: Spirit Fest at Divine Mercy Catholic Church - see below for volunteer link, parents can earn up to 5 service hours!
- September 22-23: Senior class retreat
- September 23-27: Homecoming Week: Wrangle the Wildcats! See below for themed dress down days and more information.
- September 27: No Faribault busing! BA homecoming events; Middle School dismissed by 1:45pm; High School dismissed following the parade at 2:45pm.
May you have a restful and blessed weekend!
In partnership,
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Heads of School
ALL BA UPDATES
Service Day 2024 Donation Drive and Info: As is our tradition as a Dominican school focused on prayer, study, community and service - all grades will be departing for service sites in the Faribault community following a short prayer service on Wednesday, September 11, which is also a National Day of Service and Remembrance. Students will be provided a bag lunch (or may bring their own) and are asked to dress in Cardinal shirts and work-ready pants and shoes. More details to follow next week. We are also conducting a donation drive for St. Vincent de Paul, one of our service sites. Please, if you are able, send donations of canned goods and toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste) in with your student by next Wednesday. Thank you for supporting these acts of service!
Homecoming Week 2024: BA will celebrate Homecoming Week September 23-27. Students are encouraged to follow the dress theme for each day - see the list below. Note that students not participating in the theme should follow the dress code. Friday, September 27th will begin with Mass at Divine Mercy Catholic Church (139 Mercy Drive) followed by buddy activities with Divine Mercy Catholic School. All are invited to attend the noon pep fest and coronation in BA's Van Orsow Auditorium. The homecoming parade will follow. This year's parade will go from BA out to DMCS instead of through downtown Faribault. See below for themed dress down days:
- Monday, September 23rd: Color Day - Grades will wear the following colors: 6th: Red; 7th: Green; 8th: Yellow; 9th: Purple; 10th: Orange; 11th: Pink; 12th: Clear; Faculty/Staff: Blue
- Tuesday, September 24th: Adam Sandler Day (Students wear over-sized, baggy clothing)
- Wednesday, September 25th: Western Wear
- Thursday, September 26th: Hawaiian/Tropical Day
- Friday, September 27th: Cardinal spirit wear
Dig Pink/Tackle Cancer Gear Order, Dress Down Day & Events: Unfortunately, cancer touches the lives of so many in numerous ways. We would like to come together and do our part to help.
BA volleyball and BA football are again participating in the Randy Shaver Tackle Cancer & Dig Pink fundraiser. BA volleyball will raise funds at their home game on Tuesday, September 17th. BA football will raise funds at their home game on Friday, September 20th. T-shirts and Hoodies are available for purchase in white or light pink. Click HERE to order by 11:59 Wednesday, September 11. ORDER SOON! There will also be a $1 dress down day on Tuesday, September 17th. Please join us at the games for additional opportunities at each of the events to participate in raising funds for Cancer Research.*Proceeds from the events, t-shirt and hoodie sales, and the dress down day will all be donated to the Randy Shaver Cancer Fund.*
Host family Needed! Host family needed ASAP for accepted student arriving soon from South Korea! BA offers tuition credit, fulfillment of the parent service hour requirement, and an all-season athletic pass to host families. Consider hosting this delightful student and give her the gift of a BA education! Monthly stipend, BA tuition credit, parent volunteer hour credit for the year; and annual home game family pass included for the host family. Contact Kris or Cheryl at PSE with questions or if interested.
2023-2024 Yearbooks: Extra copies are available for purchase ($79.46). Contact Mrs. Kallie Battles to get your copy!
Homework Club is available Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays from 3-4pm in Mrs. Kohl's 2nd floor library classroom. No need to sign up, students are invited to join her when they need to. Plan Ahead: NO Homework Club September 16-19.
Parent Volunteer Opportunities: Divine Mercy Catholic Church is hosting their annual Spirit Fest event Saturday, September. BA parents who volunteer at this event can earn up to 5 BA parent service hours. Click HERE for the link to sign up. Volleyball & Football Home Games: Help needed to take tickets and work concessions at our fall home football and volleyball games. Find the game sign ups in POINT at: https://pointapp.org/sign-in/. Click HERE for more information on our parent volunteer program. Find directions on how to self-report your hours HERE.
Fall Sports Digital Tickets
Bethlehem Academy and the other members of the Gopher Conference have adopted GoFan as our digital ticketing platform. Get the GoFan app on your mobile device or visit the website https://gofan.co/app/school/MN19536 to buy your tickets in advance. Volleyball and football passes are available as well.
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Moms in Prayer Group: Enrich your prayer life - all moms are invited to join this fabulous group Tuesdays at 1:45pm at BA in Sr Theresa's office in the basement level (stop in the front office for directions.) |
High School Updates
Juniors and Seniors! 1st United Bank Junior Board of Director Applications for this year are now available. Click HERE for a copy. All applications must be in by September 13th.
Juniors: Sign up for the PSAT by 9/17! BA will be offering an opportunity for 11th graders to take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT) in October (21-25, date TBD). Associated costs will be covered by BA. The PSAT is a test designed to help high school sophomores and juniors prepare for the SAT. The PSAT can also gauge your aptitude for other national tests and inform which areas you'll need to focus your studying on. It also affords a student the opportunity to earn a scholarship and the prestigious title of National Merit Scholar if they perform well enough. If interested, please fill out the form at this link by Tuesday, September 17. Parents or students are also encouraged to reach out to our school counselor in person or Nathan_Bienias@bacards.org. Information on the scholarship program can be found HERE.
Senior parents: Zoom prayer event September 17 for your senior. Click HERE to register. DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
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 Click HERE to sign up for confirmation. |
 Register HERE for Edge! |
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Click HERE to order. .png) |
COMMUNITY NEWS
Lawn Mowing Job: Mary Ann, a BA neighbor on Willow Street, is looking for a BA student or adult to mow her lawn. Mower available on site, $20/time. Contact her at 507-334-3000 if interested.
https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/
Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/
Family Focus 8/30/24
09/06/2024
Kris Sauer
August 2024, 2024-25
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August 30, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardians:
What a great first week! We rolled out the red carpet Tuesday to welcome everyone back to campus to begin the week and ended this morning celebrating a wonderful Mass together. Thank you to Campus Ministry and our high school students for working together to set up and take down chairs so we could gather and prayer in a more reverent environment. It is so wonderful to have new and returning Cardinals back in the building! Tonight our BA Cardinal football team will open their season on the road at Winona Cotter. Go, Cardinals!
Staffing updates: We are excited to announce that Paul Brown, with years of experience in construction, will join our maintenance team next Tuesday. Regretfully, due to unforeseen circumstances, Lindsay Bjorkquist will not be working at BA as a middle school counselor this school year. We are collaborating with Phoenix School Consulting not only to fill the MS Counselor position, but to provide coverage until that happens. In the interim, students should work with School Counselor Nathan Bienias as needed. Finally, we are looking for a part-time kitchen staff assistant (Mondays & Tuesdays), as Sarah Babcock has decided to shift to substituting in the kitchen as needed. And, we are still looking for someone to help direct our spring play! Click HERE to find information on our website about these openings.
Parents, one last thing: your daughters are lovely and dressed so nicely, especially for our first Mass of the school year. Mrs. Sauer shared this with all the girls before Mass, and we ask you to remind them of this as well: do please wear skirts/dresses that are long enough to be mid-thigh and, if wearing shirts or dresses with scooped, rounded or squared necklines, that those necklines be modest, preferably near their collar bone. Thank you!
The week ahead:
UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2024-2025 BA School Calendar
- September 11: All-school Student Service Day, more details to come
- September 13: 1st United Bank Jr Board of Directors applications due (juniors and seniors)
- September 17: Dig Pink/Tackle Cancer pink dress down day fundraiser; Dig Pink events at home VB games
- September 20: Tackle Cancer event @ home football game
- September 21: Spirit Fest at Divine Mercy Catholic Church - see below for volunteer link
- September 22-23: Senior class retreat
- September 23-27: Homecoming Week: Wrangle the Wildcats!
REMINDER: NO SCHOOL Monday, September 2 for Labor Day.
May you have a restful and blessed long weekend!
In partnership,
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Heads of School
ALL BA UPDATES
2023-2024 Yearbooks are in and were distributed to students this past week. Extra copies are available for purchase ($79.46). Contact Mrs. Kallie Battles to get your copy!
Homework Club starts next week and is available Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays from 3-4pm in Mrs. Kohl's 2nd floor library classroom. No need to sign up, students are invited to join her when they need to.
Parent Volunteer Opportunities: Divine Mercy Catholic Church is hosting their annual Spirit Fest event Saturday, September. BA parents who volunteer at this event can earn up to 5 BA parent service hours. Click HERE for the link to sign up. Volleyball & Football Home Games: Help needed to take tickets and work concessions at our fall home football and volleyball games. Find the game sign ups in POINT at: https://pointapp.org/sign-in/. Click HERE for more information on our parent volunteer program. Find directions on how to self-report your hours HERE.
2024-2025 Parent Ambassadors: We are looking for a Grade 7 and Grade 10 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 web page: Click HERE for all your back to school resources!
Bethlehem Academy and the other members of the Gopher Conference have adopted GoFan as our digital ticketing platform. Get the GoFan app on your mobile device or visit the website https://gofan.co/app/school/MN19536 to buy your tickets in advance. Volleyball and football passes are available as well.
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Moms in Prayer Group: Enrich your prayer life - all moms are invited to join this fabulous group Tuesdays at 1:45pm at BA in Sr Theresa's office in the basement level (stop in the front office for directions.) |
High School Updates
Juniors and Seniors! 1st United Bank Junior Board of Director Applications for this year are now available. Click HERE for a copy. All applications must be in by September 13th.
DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
DMCS Job Opening!.png) |
Click HERE to register. .png) |
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Click HERE to sign up for confirmation. |
Register HERE for Edge! |
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Lawn Mowing Job: Mary Ann, a BA neighbor on Willow Street, is looking for a BA student or adult to mow her lawn. Mower available on site, $20/time. Contact her at 507-334-3000 if interested.
https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/
Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/
Family Focus Aug 23, 2024
08/29/2024
Kris Sauer
August 2024, 2024-25
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August 23, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardians:
WELCOME BACK to BA's 160th year of providing an outstanding Catholic education based on our Dominican pillars of prayer, study, community, and service. Go, Cardinals!!
We are excited to welcome all our students back to campus on Monday. Orientation starts at 9am in the gym - homeroom lists will be posted in Alumni Hall outside the gym. Note that no lunch will be served, our orientation ends at 11:30 a.m. High school students new to BA (if you were at BA for middle school, there is no need to attend) should plan to stay until 1pm for an additional orientation. Our official first full day of school is Tuesday, August 27. Faribault busing will be operating. First bell rings at 8:00 a.m., students must be in homeroom/1st hour classes when the tardy bell rings at 8:05 a.m. School dismisses at 2:55 p.m.
Thank you to all our new and returning parents who joined us this past Wednesday for our Parent Open House. It was great to meet all of you! This was a required meeting for all new middle school families. Please reach out to Brent Zabel if you were not able to attend. New middle school parents please note: there is no mandatory parent technology meeting on August 26. We apologize for any miscommunication on this.
We need a host family for a Korean 8th grade girl! See below for more information. If you haven't already returned the lunch and health forms included in your back to school mailing, please send them in with your son or daughter on Monday. You can also find these same forms on our website's back to school page (click here).
The week ahead:
UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2024-2025 BA School Calendar
- August 24: DMCS Ribbon Cutting Ceremony following 4pm Mass with Archbishop Hebda, DMCS open house to follow until 8pm.
- August 26 (9am-11:30 a.m.) Student Orientation
- Seniors - arrive at 8:30 a.m. to pick your parking spot
- All grade 6-12 students - arrive by 9 a.m. and meet in the gym. Homeroom lists posted.
- New High School Students - 11:30a.m.-1p.m. Stay for lunch and to receive your laptop.
- August 27: First Day of School! Tardy bell rings at 8:05 a.m.
- September 2: No School, Labor Day Holiday
- September 7: Football home opener and parent night
BA JOB OPENINGS: Email if interested to: lmoon@bacards.org
- Part-time Theatre Director
- Substitute Teachers & Kitchen Assistants
Please reach out with questions. Blessings on your week ahead!
In partnership,
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen
Interim Co-Heads of School
ALL BA UPDATES
Host Family Needed! We need a host family for a new 8th grade girl from Korea. Word just received today! Please consider opening your home to this student. Monthly stipend and exchange program support provided; BA offers a tuition and parent volunteer hour credit as well as an annual home game athletic pass. Contact Kris if interested.
Volleyball & Football Home Game Volunteers Needed: Help needed to take tickets and work concessions at our fall home football and volleyball games. Find the game sign ups in POINT at: https://pointapp.org/sign-in/. Click HERE for more information on our parent volunteer program.
2024-2025 Parent Ambassadors: We are looking for a Grade 7 and Grade 10 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 web page: Click HERE for all your back to school resources!
Bethlehem Academy and the other members of the Gopher Conference have adopted GoFan as our digital ticketing platform. Get the GoFan app on your mobile device or visit the website https://gofan.co/app/school/MN19536 to buy your tickets in advance. Volleyball and football passes are available as well.
Fall Sports Registration
The fall sports season starts Monday! 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).
Returning Students Grades 9-12 Laptops: Returning students in grades 9-12 may sign up to check out their laptops in advance of Tuesday's first day of classes. Note: some laptops are still at Apple's repair depot and may not be available for advance pickup.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0948A9AD2F4-50897773-laptop
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Moms in Prayer Group: Enrich your prayer life - all moms are invited to join this fabulous group Tuesdays at 1:45pm at BA in Sr Theresa's office in the basement level (stop in the front office for directions.) |
DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
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https://gopherconference.org/public/genie/7/school/7/
Online Faribault Falcons Calendar:
https://big9conference.org/public/genie/4/school/7/