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Family Focus 1/22/24

02/01/2024 author

Kris Sauer category

January 2024

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"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
Deuteronomy 31:6 (Campus Ministry-selected Bible verse for 2023-2024)

January 22, 2024

Dear BA Parents/Guardians:

It was an exciting week at BA! Please join us tomorrow at 8pm for Grand March followed by the SnoBall Queen coronation. Following coronation, all BA parents and adult guests are invited to join the Post-Prom for SnoBash, a fun social event with live music featuring BA grad Noah Battles from 9-11pm at the Faribault Golf Club.

Catholic Schools' Week begins Sunday! Join us at the 10am Mass at Divine Mercy Catholic Church as we celebrate Catholic education. Students will be on a service-based field trips Tuesday, Jan 30. Field trip permission slips and the $25 fee MUST be turned in no later than Monday, Jan 29. High school students must arrive and report to homeroom at 7:40am to board the buses on time. Middle school students may arrive at the usual time. We are asking students to wear Cardinal gear and dress code bottoms. Wednesday, January 31, we begin with an 8:30am joint BA/DMCS Mass in the BA gym officiated by Archbishop Hebda. We are honored to have him with us for this celebration! Please join us if you are able. Finally, we finish the week sharing the good news of BA with prospective students and families at our Winter Admissions Open House Sun, Feb 4 from 11am to 1pm. Invite a prospective student to join us!

Financial Update: Save the date and plan to join us April 13th for BABS 2024, the 40th Anniversary Ruby Gala! Contact Teresa Lebens if interested in donating, sponsoring, or volunteering for our #1 fundraising event of the year! Our Annual Fund goal is to raise $255,000 for operating expenses not covered by tuition; $182,525 has been donated so far. Consider a gift and help us fund operating and faculty salary expenses not covered by tuition HERE.

Here is a look at our schedule for next week:

UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2023-2024 BA School Calendar:

Feb. 4: 11am-1pm Admissions Open House & Tours. Invite a prospective student/family to pre-register HERE.
Feb. 5: Counselor's Day - Send a message of thanks and appreciation to Mr. Uphus and Ms. Smith!
Feb. 7: Prom $ Dress Down Day
- Post Prom mtg, 5:30pm, BA cafeteria
Feb. 8: Student of the Month, 7:30am
Feb. 12-15: Wolf Ridge 8th Grade Trip
Feb. 12-21: Jamaica Mission Trip
Feb. 14: Ash Wednesday Mass, 10:30am
Feb. 16: NO SCHOOL
Feb. 19: NO SCHOOL, Presidents' Day

Kudos: To the Senior Class for planning a fun SnoBall Week!

Prayers for our students, our families and those that are sick and/or struggling.
Blessings, The BA Leadership Team
John Wollersheim, Ed Friesen, Brent Zabel, Kris Sauer, Stephen Uphus
Click on individual names to contact a member of the Leadership Team or email the entire team at leadership@bacards.org

ALL BA UPDATES

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK FIELD TRIP FORMS MUST BE TURNED IN MONDAY: Click here to find the forms and more information on Catholic Schools Week.

Tuition Assistance Applications Open: Apply by Feb 23 to be eligible for the most scholarships. Find the TADS financial aid application at www.mytads.com; click HERE for more information on all our scholarship and assistance programs. Reach out to Kris Sauer with questions or if you need assistance with this process.

ATHLETICS UPDATES
Parent Volunteers needed for home basketball games:

Click HERE for the girls basketball game sign up
Click HERE for the boys basketball game sign up

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES

Drivers Training @ BA: Cannon River Driving School is hosting driver's training for interested students the weeks of March 11 and March 18, 2024. Classes will run Monday-Friday from 3:15-6:30pm at BA. Cost $125/student. Registration closes March 8; at least 10 student must enroll to run the course at BA. Register for class and behind the wheel at this link; register for class only here. Contact Denise at deniseruegercmt@yahoo.com with questions.

Seniors: Service Cord Info: Service cord information was sent to seniors this week. Find forms and information HERE; contact Mr. Uphus with questions.

Seniors: College Scholarship Info: Go to our scholarship page HERE for updated local and national college scholarship offerings.

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATES

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/

Family Focus 1/19/23

01/23/2024 author

Kris Sauer category

January 2024

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A Message from the BA Board of Directors
Dear BA Families:
The Board would like to thank you for your continued prayers and support for the students and staff this school year. As you know, a Task Force made up of Board members and BA staff and faculty members has worked for the past few weeks to evaluate the President/Principal position and the needs of Bethlehem Academy moving forward. The Task Force recommended, and the Board approved, a new Head of School position for BA. This position retains much of the President duties and creates a Principal position out of the Assistant Principal role currently held by Mr. John Wollersheim. We will post BA’s new Head of School position by the end of January and will be starting the interview process at the end of February.

Update from BA Leadership
These next two weeks will be busy but exciting! SnoBall Week starts Monday with daily dress down themes. A reminder that if students are not dressed in the theme for the day they are expected to be in dress code. There is no Mass Friday, Jan 26; instead we will have a 1pm SnoBall prayer service and student assembly. Our high school SnoBall dance begins with the Grand March at 8pm followed by the SnoBall Queen coronation. CONGRATULATIONS to our 2024 SnoBall Queen candidates as chosen by their peers: Chloe Crow, Ava Hacker, Mallorie Pavek, Lindsay Rauenhorst, and Bennett Wray-Raabolle. All are welcome to attend the Grand March/Coronation. All parents and adult guests are invited to join the Post-Prom-sponsored SnoBash event at the Faribault Golf Club after Grand March until the dance ends at 11pm. See below for more details.

Catholic Schools' Week begins January 28 as BA hosts the 10am Mass at Divine Mercy Catholic Church at 10am. Please join us! Students will be on a service-based field trip Tuesday, Jan 30. Please turn in permission slips and the $25 fee by next Tuesday, January 23. We are looking forward to being the hands and feet of Christ as we pack food at Feed My Starving Children! Donations for their programs gratefully accepted HERE. Wednesday, January 31, we begin with an 8:30am joint BA/DMCS Mass in the BA gym officiated by Archbishop Hebda. We are honored to have him with us for this celebration! Please join us if you are able. Although we won't have a talent show this (not enough acts signed up), we are hosting a Winter Admissions Open House Sun, Feb 4 from 11am to 1pm. Help us spread the good news of Bethlehem Academy - invite a prospective student to join us!

We are excited to welcome Deacon Hjalmar to BA! We anticipate he will assist us primarily in our Theology Department, with more details to be shared soon.

If you are seeking tuition assistance, a reminder to be working on your TADS aid applications; apply by Feb 23 to be eligible for the most scholarships. Find the TADS application at www.mytads.com; click HERE for more information on all our scholarship and assistance programs. Reach out to Kris Sauer with questions or if you need assistance with this process.

Financial Update: Save the date and plan to join us April 13th for BABS 2024, the 40th Anniversary Ruby Gala! Contact Teresa Lebens if interested in donating, sponsoring, or volunteering for our #1 fundraising event of the year! Our Annual Fund goal is to raise $255,000 for operating expenses not covered by tuition; $175,649 has been donated so far. Consider a gift and help us fund operating and faculty salary expenses not covered by tuition HERE.

Here is a look at our schedule for next week:

UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2023-2024 BA School Calendar:

Jan. 28-Feb 3: Catholic Schools Week, see flyer below
Jan. 30: CSW Service and Field Trip Day
Jan. 31: 8:30am Joint BA/DMCS Mass in BA gym w/Archbishop Hebda
Feb. 3: Gopher Conference Honors Band, Choir and Art at Kenyon-Wanamingo High School
Feb. 4: 11am-1pm Admissions Open House & Tours. Invite a prospective student/family to pre-register HERE.

Kudos: To the 2024 BA/DMCS Spelling Bee winner, 8th grader Leighton Richter! He and 2nd place winner Aram Lebgue (5th gr/DMCS) will compete in the regional spelling bee in Rochester Feb 6. Congratulations to Leighton and Aram and to the 18 students who participated in this 10th annual event!

Prayers for our students, our families and those that are sick and/or struggling.

Blessings, The BA Leadership Team
John Wollersheim, Ed Friesen, Brent Zabel, Kris Sauer, Stephen Uphus
Click on individual names to contact a member of the Leadership Team or email the entire team at leadership@bacards.org

ALL BA UPDATES

Catholic Schools Week Field Trips Forms and Fee Due Tues Jan 23: Catholic Schools Week service and field trip forms were distributed to students during homeroom today. Forms and payment are due by Jan 23. Click here to find the forms and more information on Catholic Schools Week.

Yearbook Orders: Multimedia student have been working hard on the 2023-2024 yearbook. If you order by Jan. 26, the price is $69 + tax. Click HERE to order online. Please contact Mrs. Kallie Battles at with questions.

ATHLETICS UPDATES
Parent Volunteers needed for home basketball games:

Click HERE for the girls basketball game sign up
Click HERE for the boys basketball game sign up

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES

SnoBall Dance Jan 27: Ticket Sales end Wed Jan 24: The January 27 SnoBall is a girl-ask-boy (Sadie Hawkins) semi-formal dance for students in grades 9-12. Typically, the girls purchase a tie for their date that matches their dress. The girls arrange for a bouquet and boutonniere with a local florist that the boy picks up and pays for the day of the dance. Boys wear a dress shirt (most choose black), tie and nice pants; girls wear a modest semi-formal dress. Couples usually go out to dinner with a group of friends before the dance. Parents and guests gather in the gym at 8:00pm for the Grand March, where participating couples are introduced and the SnoBall Queen is crowned. The dance ends at 11pm. Tickets are $40/couple or $20/person; sales end Wed, Jan 24. Non-BA student guests are required to turn in a permission slip to attend; find the form HERE or in the BA front office.

Senior Parents: FAFSA Now Open! The 2024-2025 FAFSA, the form required for receiving college financial aid, is now available. Find information on our website HERE. Colleges need this form to put together a needs-based financial aid package, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible. Click HERE to go directly to the FAFSA information and application page.

Seniors: College Scholarship Info: Go to our scholarship page HERE for updated local and national college scholarship offerings.

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATES

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/

Family Focus, 1/12/24

01/18/2024 author

Kris Sauer category

January 2024

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Dear BA Families:

It was bittersweet to celebrate our final school Mass at Immaculate Conception Church this morning, but the reason is a blessing: a new PreK-5 campus for DMCS for next school year. A reminder that all future BA school Masses will be held in our gym, following our regular Friday 10:30am Mass schedule.

Please enjoy your long weekend - there is NO SCHOOL on Monday, Jan 15 as the nation celebrates Martin Luther King Day. A reminder as well that if there is severe weather, we follow Faribault Public Schools for late starts and school cancelations. We do confirm this via email, text, on our website and on our Facebook page.

So many great things happening are in the next few weeks: SnoBall week begins Jan 22 with a week of dress down days, a 1pm prayer service and SnoBall Court assembly Friday, Jan 26 (No 10:30am Mass this day), and the SnoBall Dance Saturday Jan 27 from 8pm (Grand March) to 11pm. Catholic Schools Week quickly follows, including a service/field trip day January 30 and a BA/DMCS Mass celebrated by Archbishop Hebda January 31. Find full details below.

Preparations for the 2024-2025 school year are in full swing! We have been working diligently over the past few months to transition to PowerSchool for our enrollment and tuition management. We will be going away from FACTS for the 2024-2025 school year. In a few weeks you will receive links to register your student(s) for the 2024-2025 school year. We look forward to inviting new students and families to check out our school on February 4^th from 11am-1pm. If you know someone interested in attending, please help spread the word.

A reminder that the TADS tuition assistance applications are open; early submissions (by Feb 23) are eligible for the most scholarships. Find the TADS application at www.mytads.com; click HERE for more information on all our scholarship and assistance programs. Reach out to Kris Sauer with questions or if you need assistance with this process.

Financial Update: Save the date and plan to join us April 13th for BABS 2024, the 40th Anniversary Ruby Gala! Contact Teresa Lebens if interested in donating, sponsoring, or volunteering for our #1 fundraising event of the year! Our Annual Fund goal is to raise $255,000 for operating expenses not covered by tuition; $175,649 has been donated so far. Consider a gift and help us fund operating and faculty salary expenses not covered by tuition HERE.

Here is a look at our schedule for next week:

UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2023-2024 BA School Calendar.

Jan. 19: Family Youth Night @ girls basketball game, invite prospective students and families to sign up HERE
Jan. 22-26: SnoBall Week: see dress down day flyer below
Jan. 24: Post-Prom Dining Night Out at Godfather's
Jan 26: Family Youth Night @ boys basketball game; family and youth sign up HERE.
Jan. 27: SnoBall Dance, grades 9-12, 8-11pm, Van Orsow Auditorium, more information in high school section below
Jan 27: SnoBash parent event, 9-11pm, $20, Faribault Golf Club, all parents are welcome! See flyer below
Jan. 28-Feb 3: Catholic Schools Week, see flyer below
Feb. 4: 11am-1pm Admissions Open House & Tours. Invite a prospective student/family to pre-register HERE.

Welcome! We are excited to welcome April Schuman to the kitchen staff. She has background and experience in both food and customer service. We are excited to have her join the Cardinal family starting Tuesday, January 16! A welcome as well to Mike Reuvers, who has joined the staff as on of our BA van drivers.

Kudos: to BA's Knowledge Bowl Teams, finishing 8th and 14th among 41 teams, most of whom were bigger, Class AA schools.

Prayers for our students, our families and those that are sick and/or struggling.

Blessings, The BA Leadership Team
John Wollersheim, Ed Friesen, Brent Zabel, Kris Sauer, Stephen Uphus
Click on individual names to contact a member of the Leadership Team or email the entire team at leadership@bacards.org

ALL BA UPDATES

Catholic Schools Week Field Trips Jan 30: Catholic Schools Week service and field trip forms were distributed to students during homeroom today. Forms and payment are due by Jan 23. Click here to find the forms and more information on Catholic Schools Week.

Rome Pilgrimage June 7-18, 2024: 10 participants needed or trip will cancel! More high school students or adults are needed for our 2024 Pilgrimage to Rome! Highlights of the trip will include St. Peter’s Basilica mass and tour, Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Church of St. Francis, and Michelangelo’s David. Cost for trip is $3,995 which includes airfare, accommodations, transportation in Rome and to Assisi and Florence, as well as most meals. Please contact Ms. Caryn Coller (ccoller@bacards.org) for more details or student permission slip. Find the link to our travel company with more info here: Ciaoromatravel.com.

ATHLETICS UPDATES
Parent Volunteers needed for home basketball games:

Click HERE for the girls basketball game sign up
Click HERE for the boys basketball game sign up

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES

SnoBall Dance: The January 27 SnoBall is a girl-ask-boy (Sadie Hawkins) semi-formal dance for students in grades 9-12. Typically, the girls purchase a tie for their date that matches their dress. The girls arrange for a bouquet and boutonniere with a local florist that the boy picks up and pays for the day of the dance. Boys wear a dress shirt (most choose black), tie and nice pants; girls wear a modest semi-formal dress. Couples usually go out to dinner with a group of friends before the dance. Parents and guests gather in the gym at 8:00pm for the Grand March, where participating couples are introduced and the SnoBall Queen is crowned. Usually, the Mother-Son/Father-Daughter dance follows coronation, then parents and guests depart and the dance begins. The dance ends at 11pm. Tickets are $20/person or $40/couple and are being sold during high school lunches through Jan 24. Non-BA student guests are required to turn in a permission slip to attend; find the form HERE or in the BA front office.

Senior Parents: FAFSA Now Open! The 2024-2025 FAFSA, the form required for receiving college financial aid, finally opened January 1^st with several changes. Mr. Uphus sent your senior a detailed email with information on this process Friday, January 5. You can find this same information on our website HERE. Colleges need this form to put together a needs-based financial aid package, so it’s best to apply as soon as possible. Click HERE to go directly to the FAFSA information and application page. Mr. Uphus is available to help and can be reached at suphus@bacards.org.

Seniors: College Scholarship Info: Go to our scholarship page HERE for updated local and national college scholarship offerings.

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATES

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/

Family Focus 1/5/24

01/10/2024 author

Kris Sauer category

January 2024

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Dear BA Families:

Happy New Year! It's been a great start to the second semester. Our basketball teams and co-op athletes are kicking their seasons into high gear; next week both our Knowledge Bowl and our Robotics teams have meets; SnoBall (more information below in the HS section) and Catholic Schools Week are on the horizon. It is an exciting time to be a Cardinal!

As January begins, we are looking to next year. Budgets and planning for 2024-2025 have been at the forefront of many conversations over the past few weeks. As we’ve shared, the Board is expected to launch the new leadership search by February. Student enrollment is also a large part of our planning. We are in the process of changing our enrollment system to fully integrate with PowerSchool, providing a more seamless system for enrollment, payments, and academics for our families. Look for re-enrollment and other information around Catholic Schools’ Week. This registration process is important, as it influences our staffing decisions for the next school year. Solid numbers help in our planning. If you are interested in being considered for tuition assistance, get an early start by filling out the TADS application now. Applications submitted by February 23, 2024, qualify for the most scholarship aid. Last year’s tax documents work for this process, 2023 W-2s and current paystubs are also required. Find the TADS application at www.mytads.com; click HERE for more information on all our scholarship and assistance programs. Reach out to Kris Sauer with questions or if you need assistance with this process.

Financial Update: Save the date and plan to join us April 13th for BABS 2024, the 40th Anniversary Ruby Gala! Contact Teresa Lebens if interested in donating, sponsoring, or volunteering for our #1 fundraising event of the year! Our Annual Fund goal is to raise $255,000 for operating expenses not covered by tuition; $175,510 has been donated so far. Consider a gift and help us fund operating and faculty salary expenses not covered by tuition HERE.

Here is a look at our schedule for next week:

UPCOMING EVENTS: Click HERE for a copy of the 2023-2024 BA School Calendar.

Jan. 15: No School, Martin Luther King Day
Jan. 18: Spelling Bee, Gr 3-8, 8:30am, Van Orsow Auditorium
Jan. 19: Family Youth Night @ girls basketball game, invite prospective students and families to sign up HERE
Jan. 22-26: SnoBall Week
Jan. 24: Post-Prom Dining Night Out at Godfather's
Jan 26: Family Youth Night @ boys basketball game; family and youth sign up HERE.
Jan. 27: SnoBall Dance, grades 9-12, 8-11pm, Van Orsow Auditorium, more information in high school section below
Jan 27: SnoBash parent event, 9-11pm, $20, Faribault Golf Club, see flyer below
Jan. 28-Feb 3: Catholic Schools Week
Feb. 4: 11am-1pm Admissions Open House & Tours. Invite a prospective student/family to pre-register HERE.

We are still looking for a kitchen assistant and a host family for a 6th grade boy for next school year. Contact Kris Sauer for more information.

Blessings, The BA Leadership Team
John Wollersheim, Ed Friesen, Brent Zabel, Kris Sauer, Stephen Uphus
Click on individual names to contact a member of the Leadership Team or email the entire team at leadership@bacards.org

ALL BA UPDATES
Update from the Nurse's Office: We have added information on current COVID-19 protocols recommended by the MN Department of Health on our website. Click HERE for the latest information.

Rome Pilgrimage June 7-18, 2024: 10 participants needed or trip will cancel! More high school students or adults are needed for our 2024 Pilgrimage to Rome! Highlights of the trip will include St. Peter’s Basilica mass and tour, Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, Colosseum, Church of St. Francis, and Michelangelo’s David. Cost for trip is $3,995 which includes airfare, accommodations, transportation in Rome and to Assisi and Florence, as well as most meals. Please contact Ms. Caryn Coller (ccoller@bacards.org) for more details or student permission slip. Find the link to our travel company with more info here: Ciaoromatravel.com.

ATHLETICS UPDATES
Parent Volunteers needed for home basketball games:

Click HERE for the girls basketball game sign up
Click HERE for the boys basketball game sign up

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES

Post-Prom Planning Meeting: Wednesday, January 10, 5:30pm in the BA Cafeteria. All junior class parents encouraged to attend!

SnoBall Dance: The January 27 SnoBall is a girl-ask-boy (Sadie Hawkins) semi-formal dance for students in grades 9-12. Typically, the girls purchase a tie for their date that matches their dress. The girls arrange for a bouquet and boutonniere with a local florist that the boy picks up and pays for the day of the dance. Boys wear a dress shirt (most choose black), tie and nice pants; girls wear a modest semi-formal dress. Couples usually go out to dinner with a group of friends before the dance. Parents and guests gather in the gym at 8:00pm for the Grand March, where participating couples are introduced and the SnoBall Queen is crowned. Usually, the Mother-Son/Father-Daughter dance follows coronation, then parents and guests depart and the dance begins. The dance ends at 11pm. Ticket and non-BA student guest permission slip information will be provided in the next few weeks.

Drivers Training @ BA: Cannon River Driving School is hosting driver's training for interested students the weeks of March 11 and March 18, 2024. Classes will run Monday-Friday from 3:15-6:30pm at BA. Cost $125/student. Registration closes March 8; at least 10 student must enroll to run the course at BA. Register for class and behind the wheel at this link; register for class only here. Contact Denise at deniseruegercmt@yahoo.com with questions.

Seniors: College Scholarship Info: Go to our scholarship page HERE for updated local and national college scholarship offerings.

DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATES

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

COMMUNITY NEWS
Faribault Soccer Summer Programs: Registration is now open for summer soccer leagues and camp opportunities through Shattuck-St. Mary's. Click here for more information in both English and Spanish.

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

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

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