Family Focus 7/26/24
07/26/2024
Ed Friesen
July 2024, 2024-25
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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 30th and August 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15th 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
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
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Shattuck/Faribault Community Soccer Camp 2024 July 29-August 2: The 2024 Summer Camp, hosted by Shattuck-St. Mary's is coming up soon! Registration now available! Hone your skills, continue playing, prepare for the fall, all with the Community Soccer Camp. Camp is hosted by the Shattuck / St. Mary's Soccer Center of Excellence! Click HERE for registration info. Pregnancy Options Run Baby Run! Event August 10: Support the mission of Faribault's Pregnancy Options and participate in their 10th annual Run Baby Run fundraiser with 10k, 5k and 1 mile options. Click HERE for info and the link to register.
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 7/19/24
07/26/2024
Kris Sauer
July 2024, 2024-25
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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 30th and August 1st, 6th, 8th, 13th, and 15th 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.
DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
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.png) 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 7/12/24
07/18/2024
Kris Sauer
July 2024, 2024-25
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July 12, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardians:
We hope you had a wonderful July 4th weekend, and are enjoying this week of sun and little to no rain!
THANK YOU to our 2024 SMART Riders: current and past parents Sara & Cory Caron, Aaron Langer, Bob Crone, and George Farmer; alumni Wade Bauer (BA Class of 1974) and Dave DeGrood (BA Class of 1977); and BA Art Teacher Jason Hillesheim! They have been braving the heat and contending with newly arranged routes thanks to all the rain we've had lately. The ride concludes tomorrow (Saturday). Please keep them in your prayers as they ride and raise dollars to help BA students with tuition assistance, and consider supporting them with a donation HERE.
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 remove wallpaper, paint, and prep the concessions area for a much-needed refresh! 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 2024-2024 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.
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 below.
Blessings, The BA Leadership Team
Kris Sauer, Ed Friesen, Brent Zabel
Click on individual names to contact a member of the Leadership Team or email the entire team at leadership@bacards.org
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 help is VERY flexible in terms of days and times!
- July 17-21: BA fair stand @ the Rice County Fair - parent and student volunteers needed, click here to sign up. Help needed all shifts but especially on Sunday, July 21.
- DMCS Moving Help (BA parents and students earn service hours) Click HERE to sign up.
- Concessions Phase 1: July 16, 6:30pm: Help us save money on the concessions project and join us to strip the wallpaper borders in the bathrooms. Prep and painting planned for the last 2 weeks of July. 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.
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.
DIVINE MERCY CHURCH & SCHOOL UPDATE
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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/