Personalizing Education
Providence Strengthening Faith
Principal: Mrs. Susan Meyer
Catholic School smeyer@providencecatholicschool.org
Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year at Providence Catholic School. We have had a great start to the year and hope to make this
school year one of the best for everyone. This Welcome Back edition of the Providence Post will be sent home as a hard copy to all of
our students’ families. Beginning with the October edition we are hoping to send it out as an electronic edition too for those families and
their relatives or friends who are interested in having one sent to them. For those who do not wish to have it sent electronically, it will be
coming home next month as a hard copy in the Friday folder.
If you are interested in having it come via email, please send an email to Mrs. Kris Strauss, PCS administrative assistant at
kstrauss@providencecatholicschool.org requesting the Providence Post to be sent in e-mail form. Please include the name of the person
receiving the electronic edition and their email address. Grandparents and church parishioners are welcome to have a copy sent to them
via email.
From Your Principal
It was exciting to see the former 4 th graders, now 5 th graders, come be distributed to each family that participated for the amount of
to the West Campus and join the 6 th, 7 th and 8 th grade, Welcome time worked during the 5 days of the fair. Please help support our
back Mr. Cooper our language arts, theology and art teacher as middle school students as they work at different fundraisers for
well as Mrs. Kaminski, our science, social studies, theology and their trip later this year.
civics teacher and meet Mrs. Noonan, our math specialist teacher. During the summer months I had the pleasure of working at both
East Campus also has a new dimension to its structure with Mr. St. John’s and St. Francis’ parish picnics meeting school and parish
Matt DeWitt teaching 3 rd grade reading and science as well as 4 th families. I have also had the chance to meet with the parish
grade reading and science. He is joined by Mrs. Shelly Roth who is finance committees for all four parishes including St. Roberts and
teaching the 3 rd grade math and social studies and 4th grade math St. Mary. I am pleased to be working with Catholic communities
and social studies. 3rd and 4th grade are combined for language
that make Catholic education a priority in their futures.
arts, theology and art. Miss Simon became married during the
summer and became Mrs. Becky Spanke, and is now teaching the My hope for this year is to find ways and means to keep Catholic
1st grade. Mrs. Fosco is busy working with students at both education viable and affordable for all of our families who strive to
campuses and especially enjoys working with Mrs. Wachter and provide a Catholic education for their children. With everyone’s
the 2 nd graders in their reading groups. Ms. Schaefer, Mrs. help we can make this hope a reality. Bless you all.
Wachter, Mrs. Ford and Mr. Shaffer were pleased to see everyone Susan Meyer
back and welcome the new Kindergarteners.
The entire school gathered together to celebrate the new school
year during an all school mass held on Thursday, September 2 nd at
East Campus in the St. John the Baptist Church. Mrs. Lauzon
came back and directed the choir for both campuses and Father
Roger Savage celebrated the mass with our new Parish
Administrator, Russell Arnett. Many parents and pa rishioners
came to mass to celebrate the beginning of school year with the
students and then meet in Holy Cross Hall for a sweet treat
provided by our school families.
This school year Mrs. Kaminski is planning on taking the 7 th and
8th grade to Washington D.C in May. Several of the school
families worked together during the Racine County Fair doing
cleaning and aluminum can gathering in the early morning hours.
Over $1,100 was earned by them during this fundraiser which will
Page 2 Providence Catholic School September 2010
Welcome to the Providence FAMILY
We would like to welcome the new smiling faces in our hallways to the Providence family.
Kindergarten
Aleah Daniels, Dylan Dumelle, Riley Kayler, Cadance Mendenhall, and Benjamin Meyers.
Third Grade
Monika Panszczyk
We would also like to welcome Mr. Russell Arnett (Parish Administrator), Mr. Matthew De Witt (third grade), Mr. Charlie Cooper (5/6
grade), Mrs. Trissa Noonan (5-8 math), Mrs. Kris Strauss (administrative assistant), Sister Barbara Gause (WC secretary), Mrs. Marie
Frederick (EC food service), and Ms. Bridget Flynn (EC food service).
Market Day
MARKET DAY is back. Paper order forms are available from either school office or the parish office. They can also be found in the
back of St. John and St. Francis churches. If you would like a paper order form each month just send a note in your weekly folder so we
put you on the distribution list. Last year your support earned us just shy of $2,000.00. THANK YOU for whatever part you had in that
success. These funds are used to help off-set some of the subsidy payments made to Providence Catholic School. You can put your
completed order forms in the weekly school folder, the collection basket at St. John or St. Francis, in the parish house door at Brighton in
the clear yellow folder, or in the marked boxes located at the back of each church. Completed paper order forms are due Sunday,
September 19. Internet orders need to be entered by you by Tuesday, September 21. Delivery and customer pick-up is Friday,
September 24 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM in the school hall (basement) at St. Francis Xavier. If you are a frequent buyer and order
$40 minimum at least twice between September and November and then place a $40 minimum order in December you receive a FREE
MARKET BASKET in December. Plus, if you order 3 promo items this month you earn 2 free chalkboard storage bins. See the paper
order form or the internet for complete details. If your order is $80 minimum and you order on-line using account number 5381 or zip
code 53139 and enter promo code APPLE when you are checking out, you will get a FREE apple pie. Simply go to www.marketday.com
and follow the prompts. Credit cards are a ccepted. Any questions or if you need help, just let one of us know. If you can help out the
team on delivery days, we could use help at all or as many of the delivery days as you can from 3:15 to approx 4:15. The time worked at
this event qualifies towards your school service hours. Let either of us know if this is something you can help with. Thank you. Karen
Ament 492-4516 and Karen Zirbel 515-1424
Under the Kindergarten Big Top
As always it is starting off to be an exciting year and I am happy to introduce five new students to the Providence family. They are a
wonderful and energetic bunch so far. As I start out every year we read the story of The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn, which is a great
story to help with any fears the kindergarteners have about coming to school. We will spend most of September getting to know our
friends and learning and/or reviewing those key basic skills every kindergartener needs to know.
Exploring with Mrs. K
Mrs. K. and her husband spent 3 weeks this summer in the High Sierra’s in California. We also went to Death Valley, which was very hot,
but beautiful, and took time to tour the Lake Tahoe area. It was an awesome vacation and I will be sharing pictures and experiences with
the students. A real highlight of the trip was the 2.5 mile trip up into the mountains to the Ancient Bristle Cone Forest. It was there that I
saw the oldest living thing on earth, the Methuselah Tree which is 4,000 years old. The real exciting part was when the ranger and I went
out to a grove of trees where I was allowed to bore into one of the Bristle Cones. I have the bore and was able to find out that the tree
was 1,000 years old.
I look forward to an exciting year with the middle school students. They will be involved in a variety of science labs and activities. Social
studies will focus on the ancient world and world cultures. Civics is an area that will get the kids connected to the roots of our democratic
system. How appropriate this year with the trip to D.C. in the spring. October 5th is our first field trip. The entire West Campus will be at
Timber Lee Science and Christian center. We are hoping to involve the students in several more field trips associated with areas of study
this year. The theme for this year is respect, responsibility, and religion. If we all pull together the three R’s can be achieved.
God bless all;
Mrs.K.
Providence Catholic School September 2010 Page 3
New Routines
I had an amazing summer spending time with family traveling to Florida and Maryland. I’m excited and eager to be back for the new
school year. I’m really glad to welcome you and my new students into my classroom this year. This will be my fourth year teaching at
Providence and I’m thrilled to be teaching third and fourth grade this year! I’ll be teaching 3rd grade math and social studies, 4th grade
math and social studies, and combined 3rd/4 th grade language arts, health, art, and computers! The students seem to enjoy switching
classrooms and having more than one teacher! They are adjusting very well to the new routine. I’m hoping to make this academic year an
educational and fun filled year for your child. Mrs. Roth
Kenosha County Fair
Thank you 2009/2010 Providence staff for having all the fair projects ready to go in
June so the Brian Frederick and Zirbel families were able to transport them to the
Kenosha County Fairgrounds in Wilmot in time for the June deadline so the fair
committee could begin the long process of judging all the school's projects over the
summer months. Thank you Dan Palmer, Kirk Gillmore and Delena Reiter for
getting it all put together on August 12 in that horrific heat and thank you to Tom
Merkt for the use of his truck so we could get the entries to the fair in June and then
picked back up on the Monday after the fair. Thank you Chirissa Zirbel and Mrs.
Meyer for showing up and helping tear down the booth in the early hours of the
morning the Monday after the fair and helping me get everything over to the West
Campus in time for the Meet & Greet. Thank you Kenosha County Fair Education
Building Team for your hard work and loyalty keeping this activity alive in our area.
Providence students did very well this year. Congratulations students and staff. If
your student's fair entries and ribbons from last school year have not been picked
up by the print of this in the Providence Post by you, please arrange to do it Monday
after school or make arrangements with the office right away. The committee will
assume you don't want them any longer and they will be disposed of if we don't hear
from you.
Thank You.
Karen Wack-Zirbel
Welcome to the Crew
Welcome back to school—it is great to see so many smiling faces!! I hope everyone had an enjoyable summer! In case you haven’t heard
or forgot—I got married over the summer. So I am no longer Miss Simon, I am now Mrs. Spanke (just like Little Rascals). The wedding
was beautiful, and we had a relaxing vacation!
First Grade has had a busy week! We read books, wrote in our journals, made a book, did some adding and other math problems, and
adjusted to our new room and routine. We are all looking forward to what the year ahead brings! Feel free to stop by and see our projects!
Mrs. Spanke
Language Arts
In grades 5 & 6, last year’s 4 th quarter sub, Mr. Cooper, returns as homeroom teacher. His assignment includes language arts (reading,
spelling/vocab, English) for grades 5 through 8, as well as art and 5 th & 6 th grade religion.
The English strand of language arts will focus upon a large measure of basic grammar mechanics (parts of speech, sentence structure,
punctuation, conjugation, diagramming); graduated levels of oratory will also be incorporated. The spelling/vocabulary strand will be
derived primarily from the soft-cover vocabulary level books; an assorted collection of words of the day will also be implemented here.
The reading strand will utilize four separate sets of literature texts, an assignment of selected outside short stories and shorter paperback
novels; our yearlong emphasis will remain upon reading with greater thoroughness and comprehension.
We’re also looking to an expanded experience/exposure in religion, examining religious theory and other religions.
Providence Catholic School September 2010 Page 4
Classroom Communities
The Second Grade class has spent a lot of time developing our classroom
community. We have also begun to learn about the other communities in
which we belong; church, neighborhoods, families, etc. We are learning
how to welcome others into our communities. In our first prayer service
this week, we were reminded that Jesus calls each of us to follow him.
Since Jesus’ first followers were fishermen, the students made fish
aquariums and a mosaic fish. Welcome back!
BINGO
The next BINGO night is just around the corner on September 18th at the West Campus. The doors open at 4:00pm and it starts at
6:00pm. BINGO is another great fundraiser that we do to help our school. It is held the 1st and 2nd Saturday of the month at the West
Campus. BINGO is a very successful fundraiser. So far the Bingo events have raised around $5,000 to help benefit our school.
The BINGO events are in need of volunteers!! We are looking for two to three teams. Each team would be responsible to work 1
BINGO event every 4-6 weeks , depending on how many teams we get. If you can’t be a part of a team, you can also be placed on an
alternate /backup role list to be called when needed, which, should be less frequent if we have teams.
Physical Education
Welcome Back all students and parents. I hope everyone had an active, safe, and fun summer. As for the school year, our Presidential
Fitness Testing for grades 1st thru 8th will begin at the end of October or early November depending on the weather. The
Kindergarteners will be testing in April. The students will be tested on an endurance run, shuttle run, curl ups, v-sit, and push ups.
Keeping the students active and exercising will help their scores in this testing.
As for the beginning of the school year, all grades are currently involved in their first units of the year. Kindergarten thru 2nd Grade has
started a unit on Locomotor Movements, 3rd and 4th Grade a unit on Flag Football, and 5th thru 8th Grade a unit on Volleyball. I look
forward to another exciting and fun school year. If any parents have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.
Mr. Shaffer
Middle School Math
Dear Parents,
I am excited to be teaching math at West Campus this year. This is my first year at Providence and my seventh year teaching middle
school math.
I believe communication is the key to a great parent-student-teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any
questions or concerns. Periodically I will be sending home an update on your child's progress in math. Look for the first one on Monday
September 13th.
Mrs. Noonan
Page 5 Providence Catholic School September 2010
Mass Times
School Masses and prayer services are scheduled at St. Francis Xavier every Tuesday from 10:00-11:00 and St. John the Baptist every
Thursday from 8:00-9:00. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join us. See you at Mass!!
We already had our first All School Mass at St. John the Baptist. Father Roger officiated and the choir did a wonderful job! Russ was able
to introduce himself to the kids and tell them a little bit more about himself. Then he reflected on the readings for the day. The kids
were very engaged and excited.
Third Grade
Welcome!!
Hello, my name is Mr. De Witt. I am the newest member of the Providence Catholic School family. I am very excited to be here, and am
ready to dive into 3rd and 4th grade reading and science. Over the next nine months, the 3rd and 4th graders will be taken on a great
journey. I hope to get to know each and every student very well, as they will get a little taste into my life.
This year we will be doing a lot of great things. Two things I hope to establish are a love of reading, through Independent Reading and
Book Presentations, and a technology connection with my online blog (address listed below).
Below are a few items about what we will be covering.
3rd Reading
Students will be going through the 3rd grade Storytown book series. Themes will include: School Days, Together We Can, As We Grow,
Tales to Tell, and A Place for All. We will also be reading Sarah, Plain and Tall, Helen Keller, and James and the Giant Peach.
3rd Science
We will be exploring Plant and Animals, Plant and Animals Interact, Earth's Land, Cycles on Earth, Investigating Matter, and Exploring
Energy and Forces. The students will be working through the book, conducting lab activities, and venturing outside to explore some of
the topics first hand.
4th Reading
As a class, we will reading from the 4th grade Storytown Book series. The themes we will explore include: Facing Challenges, Natural
Changes, Imagination at Work, A New Home, and Exploring Our World. The stories outside our reading series we will be reading
together will be Little House in the Big Woods, In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, and The Cricket in Times Square.
4th Science
Students will spend the year reading and conducting lab activities on the topics of A World of Living Things, Looking at Ecosystems,
Earth's Surface, Patterns on Earth and In Space, Matter and Energy, and Forces and Motion. There will be a number of opportunities to
get outdoors to see science in action.
I look forward to traveling through the 2010-2011 school year, and experiencing all the wonderful highs along the way.
Matthew J. De Witt
3rd and 4th Grade Reading & Science
mdewitt@providencecatholicschool.org
http://mrdewitt.wordpress.com
Personalizing Education,
Strengthening Faith
East C ampus
1481 172nd Ave, Union Grove, WI 53182
eastcampus@providencecatholicschool.org
Ph: 262-859-2007
Fax: 262-859-2604
West Campus
1714 240th Ave, Kansasville, WI 53139
westcampus@providencecatholicschool.org
Ph: 262-878-2713
Fax: 262-878-3299
Preschool & Learning Center (PCPLC)
1491 172nd Ave, Union Grove, WI 53182
preschool@providencecatholicschool.org The New Kindergarten Class
PH: 262-859-0034
Activities from Mrs. Kaminski
He looks like he is Mrs. K gave each
concentrating of her students a
really hard on cereal granola bar.
getting all the Each student was
cereal out of the given glasses and
granola bar. tools to help them
excavate.
Looking Ahead
Friday, September 10– Providence Post home Friday September 24– Market Day pick-up at
Tuesday, September 14– PICTURE DAY; West Campus 4:30-5:30pm
Prayer Service 10:00am SFX Tuesday, September 28– Prayer Service 10:00am
Thursday, September 16– Mass 8:00am SJB SFX; Home and School Meeting 6:00pm at West
Campus; Education Committee Meeting 7:00pm at
Saturday, September 18– Softball Tournament SFX
8:30am; BINGO at WC 6:00pm Doors open at
4:00pm Thursday, September 30– All School Mass
10:00am SJB, Father Robert will be the celebrant
Monday, September 20– No Brighton Bus (from SMD and SRB)
Tuesday, September 21– Mass 10:00am SFX Tuesday, October 5– Providence Post info due
Thursday, September 23– Prayer Service 8:00am Thursday and Friday, October 14 & 15– No
SJB School– Teacher Convention