Preschool Graduation

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Before we walk out the door and into summer, it is important that we take a moment to gather and celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime milestones and special occasions.

First up on the docket, the ever-memorable preschool graduation!

On Friday, May 28, Mrs. Barry’s, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning students gathered in the gymnasium for a graduation ceremony, surrounded by special loved ones who were able to attend.

Father Talbot opened the celebration with a prayer, and then the preschoolers stole the show with a special performance of songs they worked hard to prepare!

Once the preschool students were done singing, Mrs. Barry handed out graduation caps and each of the students received a diploma.

In the afternoon, we were joined by Rocklin’s and Follmeer’s PreK class, and got to enjoy another incredible set of songs, performed by our little Falcons!

What a blessing to be able to gather in person with members of our community!

And what a fantastic way to end the week, celebrating these young students and all they accomplished during this school year!

Congratulations preschoolers!

The Roaming Russell Project

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With summer break fast approaching, exciting times lie ahead!

However, our good friend Russell (our school tortoise who hangs out in Mrs. Urban’s classroom) is feeling a bit left out and is determined to join in on the summer fun!

Since this mellow, shockingly speedy, tortoise often has to live life in the calm lane, he came up with a way to join you on your summer adventures so that he too can experience all that summer has to offer. However, he needs your help to BREAK FREE, and has come up with the Roaming Russell project as a way to do just that!

To participate in the Roaming Russell project and bring Russell along on your summer journies, simply print off one or both of the pictures below:


Russell couldn’t decide if he photographed better on his left or right side. 😉 

Next, pack Russell’s picture with you when visiting your favorite park, attending a baseball game, and on your special trips both near and far! Russell wants to experience it all!

Finally, take a picture with your Russell picture while savoring your summer fun and send that to us at [email protected]. Over the summer we will share, via Facebook and Instagram, the many ways Russell is living vicariously through your adventures.

If you don’t have access to a printer, simply stop by the main office and we will be happy to share a Russell photo with you so that you can participate in the Roaming Russell project.

Russell can’t wait to see all that you have planned for him!

Community Service

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One key aspect of the middle school curriculum, is the community service projects our middle school students complete in their religion coursework with Mrs. Urban.

Eighth grade oversees mass projections, assists with prayer services, serves at the senior luncheons hosted by St. Mary of Lake, makes quilts for local nursing homes, and brings to life new projects that can be shared in the community to inspire faith and love. For instance, there is currently an art project on display on our playground fences that our eighth-grade students designed.

In seventh grade, the students assist with various sewing projects (like the creation of the quilts) and also train for mass projections.

In sixth grade, in addition to the sewing projects, they too look for new ways to share our Catholic faith in the community, and this year designed one of the displays for our fences.

In February, all of the middle school students work on a partner project with the White Bear Historical Society, creating valentines for residents at nearby senior housing facilities. In April, they help with the Almsgiving baskets in the classrooms, and in May, they make pillowcases and share those fresh pillows with other senior housing facilities and long-term care homes.

This year, in particular, the students have taken to the sewing projects and have enjoyed learning how to sew using sewing machines!

The students and their families have donated fabric and new pillows, and then the students got to work pinning, threading, and sewing!

It is amazing to see the way these students connect with their work, knowing the way it will impact others’ lives!

The 2021 Spring FUN-draiser Results

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Frassati Catholic Academy would like to thank the many supporters who made the 2021 Spring FUN-draiser a smashing success!!

Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, Frassati families and friends, St. Pius X parishioners, St. Mary of the Lake parishioners, the companies and individuals who donated items for the virtual auction, and our astounding sponsors, we were able to raise $106,570. A portion of this money will be used to purchase the science curriculum items that were directly funded via this year’s Fund-a-Need project. The remaining proceeds will help support immediate needs and long-term goals, including scholarship awards, capital improvements, teacher development, and so much more.

This spring event is our most successful fundraiser of the year, generating a significant amount of support that allows us to provide an exceptional Catholic education to all who seek it. Before the pandemic, parents gathered in person for a Gala and participated in a live auction that raised thousands of dollars. However, in the past two years, we have had to find new and innovative ways to bring this event to life.

As with our 2020 event, our 2021 festivities again featured a virtual auction, but this year we were on a mission to pump up the FUN in fundraising. The parent volunteers who planned this year’s fundraiser launched the week with a student-focused, Great Outdoors Adventure Challenge. With booklets in hand, students kicked off the event with a three-day scavenger hunt challenge that featured activities the students completed for points.

On the following Monday, 164 students turned in their booklets and received a ‘Great Outdoors’ sheet of stickers, as a little reward for a job well done. On Tuesday, 30 students were invited to the “prize shop” where they could select one item from the many options, that included Spirit Wear clothing and hats, Cup and Cone token bags, and s’mores kits (which, funny enough, were the favored prize option).

The next day, we transitioned the week-long event from the student portion, to the grown-up focused fun, and kicked off the Virtual Auction! Two hundred and thirty-five people registered for ClickBid and signed in to participate in this exciting online auction. In addition to purchasing various gift certificates, gift cards, and individual items, 211 individuals donated towards one of the Fund-a-Need items, raising funds specifically for our science curriculum and impacting the learning experience in every classroom in our great school. In total, $32,080 was raised for this year’s Fund-a-Need campaign, earning us a $15,000 match, bringing our total $47,080! And this is the moment where we insert all the heart and high-five emojis.

To say we are blown away by the results of this year’s initiative is an understatement. From the way students went above and beyond in their adventure challenges, to the parents who drove their students around White Bear Lake so they could check off each item in their booklet, to the Fund-a-Need donors who quickly worked towards a goal to help us earn a $15,000 match, and to the active bidders who helped us cross the finish line in triumph, we couldn’t be more appreciative of this incredible community.

Thank you for all you did and continue to do to support our mission, as we strive to provide an exceptional Catholic education to the children of today while inspiring them to be virtuous leaders of tomorrow.

 

We would like to share our gratitude for the three parent volunteers who made this event possible, Kim Gillespie, Heidi Hughes, and Melissa Gacek. Muchas gracias!

We would also like to thank the Frassati staff members for rallying around this event, and investing their energy to engage our community on a different level and raise funds to help us meet and surpass our goals! Merci!

To each and every person who was involved with the 2021 Spring FUN-draiser, thank you again.