Community of Saints Blog Articles

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The Good News

Brought to you by Alums and Families and Friends in support of Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.

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The Good News - Fall/Winter 2020/2021

• COS Partnership with Notre Dame Delivers Highest Quality Academics - When Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C., Ph.D., heard that COS received a grant to participate
  in Notre Dame’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Teaching Fellows initiative, he was pleased but a little surprised.
• Message from Father Steve - "I pray that you are doing well and have the support that makes life in this pandemic possible for you. Our students pray for you daily.
  Students and teachers have been marvelously resilient in adapting to the demands of this year. Many of our families have additional burdens with loss of job or being furloughed. The national and international result of the death of George Floyd has touched many of our families, especially families of color. 2020 has been a year unlike any I have experienced."
• Teacher profile — Audrey Moorhouse, Middle School Science - Mission to Attract Diverse Students to STEM is Both Personal and Professional
• COS Adds 2nd Kindergarten Classroom - With 36 students, this year’s class of kindergarteners is Community of Saint’s largest. Because a large number of siblings attend COS, the school had been planning to add a second kindergarten classroom since last winter.
• Following Their Dad’s Lead Siblings Honor Dad with Gift to Tuition Assistance - When John O’Halloran celebrated his birthday this year, his children decided to honor him by joining him in support of Community of Saints. Siblings Emily, John, and Mike made a $4,180 gift to cover a full scholarship for one child, plus an additional $1,000.
• PRINCIPAL’S UPDATE: Education During COVID-19 - During pandemic, Principal Bridget Kramer focuses on keeping kids safe, and on how she can use technology to keep kids engaged and learning.
• 547 Donors Contributed $345,927 for Tuition Assistance A Record Number of Donors and Donations - To say that it’s been a challenging year for schools is an understatement. Figuring out how to safely teach children during a pandemic has been riddled with variables: What if a student gets sick? What if a teacher gets sick? What if there’s another shutdown.

The Good News - Summer 2020

• Dollar-for-Dollar Match Now — Until June 30!
  Help us reach our goal to support tuition assistance.
• During Crisis, COS Supports Students and Families
  The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on school families has been a constant worry for Principal Bridget Kramer. At Community of Saints, over 65% of families qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, one of the highest rates for Catholic schools in the archdiocese, putting them at greatest risk during the economic downturn. What follows is a look at how the school responded to the crisis.
• Fr. Steve’s Column: "These last months have taught me that flexibility is the name of the game and the lead article of this issue demonstrates that our faculty and students are up to the challenge and succeeding."
• Margaret Pohl’s Estate Gift Supports COS Students
  We’d like to acknowledge the generous gift from Margaret (Galvin) Pohl’s estate. Margaret died on March 1 at the age of 99. “She almost made it to 100,” said her son, Dan.
• Remembering Jerry Sexton ’44, Founder of A&F&F
  From the Editor: I met Jerry Sexton for the first time when he came to my house in 2007 and asked me to be the editor for a newsletter he wanted to publish. He already had a name for it, “The Good News.” I was dubious — he was insistent. The newsletter was part of a bigger plan he had to support St. Matthew’s School. Since that meeting 13 years ago, over $2 million has been raised for tuition assistance, first at St. Matt’s, now at COS. Jerry passed away on March 21 and to honor him, I want to share the story of how this whole Alums & Friends & Families thing got started, because Jerry was the one who made it happen.
• Congratulations to the COS Class of 2016 as They Graduate High School
  Graduation ceremonies are on hold but we still want to recognize the COS class of 2016 as they graduate high school. In talking with the four students featured here, something really stood out. They all described how tight-knit their COS class was and how those friends continue to be among their most treasured relationships today, which is pretty special.

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The Good News – Spring 2020

• Class of 1970 – All School Reunion! St. Matt’s, St. Mike’s, St. John Vianney, and Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saturday, May 16, 5:30 p.m., St. Matthew’s Social Hall.
• COS Rewarded for “Exceptional Results”, Receives Bonus $10,000 Grant from Healey Foundation
• Fr. Steve’s Column: "Community of Saints Regional Catholic School grows enrollment, expands educational opportunities, and thrives in the development of the whole student – physically, intellectually, socially, and spiritually."
• Ret. General Joseph Votel ‘72 Will Address COS Middle School and Donors on Monday, April 20, 10 a.m., Community of Saints School, 335 Hurley St. East, West St. Paul.
• Gifts Given in Memory of George Kronschnabel (1925–2020)
• Planning for Giving – Donors Use "Required Minimum Distribution" (RMD) to Contribute to COS
• Remember When... Class of 1970 from St. Matthew, St. Michael, and St. John Vianney Share Memories
• Class of 1970 group graduation photos
• School News
  • What Makes Preschool So Popular. Community of Saint’s preschool has a great reputation with families and the credentials to back it up. It’s earned a Four-STAR Parent-Aware rating, the highest possible score, and it’s received national accreditation from NAEYC (the National Association for Education of Young Children).
  • A Community Eager to Give What They Receive. After some family’s circumstances have improved, they return the favor!
  • STEM Club Sparks Interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Building robots and programming them to do things is fun!

The-Good-News-Fall-Winter-2019

• Service, Faith & Leadership: Joe Votel '72 and Tom Smith '72
• End of Year Challenge!
• Honor A Loved One who values Catholic education
• Fr. Steve’s Column
• Class of 1959 Reunion
• 2018-2019 Annual Report
• School News:
  • After 5 Years with Bridget Kramer as Principal, Enrollment Is Up 18% and COS is Going Strong
  • Grants from University of Notre Dame
  • Faith Serves as Foundation
  • Expanding Resources to Manage Growth
  • COS Reports 100% Staff Retention
  • COS is Thankful for Generous Support
  • Service is a core value at COS

COS 2019 Success Postcard

An interim mailing to our alumni and supporters highlighting recent successes.

The Good News-Summer 2019