PRAYER REQUESTS 

Pray for all those who have been affected by Covid-19, whether by sickness, loss of job, isolation and loneliness, etc. May all find strength, comfort and healing in this difficult time.  |  Please pray for the healing of Kathy O'Donnell, grandmother of pre-schooler Davey O'Donnell, as she undergoes chemotherapy treatment for Lymphoma.  |  Continue to pray for Jerry Vandiver, great-grandfather of Alaina & Davyn Schoppa, who has a long road of recovery following a fall at home.  |  Continue to pray for the healing of Francisco Peña, brother of Pre K-4 teaching assistant Mrs. Imelda Aleman, who was diagnosed with Leukemia and is undergoing chemotherapy. 

If you would like to include something in the Prayer Requests section, please contact Kim Hattaway at  [email protected].

SCHOOL NEWS

COVID-19 Update
Mrs. Goldsworthy sent an email letter today regarding ending our school year at CSSE. Please check your email for details including last day of distance learning and wrap up.

We Loved Your Getting to the Art of It Spirit Week Pics!  
Thank you for sharing all the ways you celebrated the Arts this past week! #TheBetweenArtAndQuarantine challenge was a hit, and there are still many great arts pics to share!


We are excited for next week's theme, which is...

CSSE Family Spirit Week for May 3 - May 9: Mum’s the Word - Mom & Mary!
The menu for "Mum’s the Word - Mom & Mary!” will go out via ClassTag on Friday. Make sure to send your photos to [email protected] or upload to the CSSE Family Distance Spirit Album.

Teacher Appreciation Week!
Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week! They deserve so much love and respect for what they do everyday, and even more so this year with them taking on an entirely new teaching approach this last quarter! We applaud their efforts and are proud of how successful distance learning has been because of them. If you would like to create a video or picture to share thanking one of your teachers for all they do, please send to [email protected] to be shared next week! Please keep videos to 30 seconds or less.

Teachers at Offertory Drop Off & Blessing Drive Through the Next Two Sundays
Father has been offering drive through blessings after 9;30 am mass on Sundays. This Sunday and next, you can drive through for your blessing and wave hello to our teachers from 10:30-11:30am!

Info on Lunch Accounts and Outstanding Balances
Money leftover in lunch accounts will rollover to next school year (or can be refunded upon request). Please make sure you check your FACTs accounts and emails regarding any outstanding balances. Please communicate with Liz Metz: [email protected].

Yearbook Orders - LAST CALL!
Yearbook price goes up to $30 each on May 1st! Today is your last chance to purchase at $25. Use the linked form to place your order. We will bill your FACTS account and send a confirmation email within a week. https://bit.ly/csseyearbook

*We did not pre-sell yearbooks at Registration Night last August. 

Staffing Updates for the 2020-21 School Year
From Mrs. Goldsworthy:  Each season brings change. With the end of the 19-20 school year upon us, I want to assure all parents that I am looking forward to leading our Eagles into another school year and soaring higher than ever! We have a few staff changes to announce.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Angie Thomas as our new middle school science teacher! We have had the pleasure of having her work with us this last quarter, getting to know the team and students through distance learning. Dr. Thomas comes to us from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Guthrie.  Dr. Thomas, her husband, and their three boys are excited to be part of our St. Eugene community! 

Mrs. Ardoin will not be returning as a first grade teacher next year at St. Eugene. We are so blessed for her year with us in the classroom and that her students thrived in her care. For personal reasons she plans to return to part-time work. She will still be involved with the St. Eugene community. We look forward to her continued involvement. 

Ms. Mary Kate Tener will be moving up to the first grade team!  Ms. Tener is looking forward to utilizing her talents and expertise acquired in her recent graduate work with first graders.  She is such an asset to the early childhood program, and we are delighted that she has chosen to guide the transition for kindergarteners into first grade in the new school year. 

Lastly, the well known Mrs. Nedra Emerson is moving on up to retirement!  It is so bittersweet to make this announcement.  Mrs. Emerson, known as the child whisperer, has been an integral part of St. Eugene.  She has been a part of our teaching staff for more than 20 years helping our Eagles thrive and flourish!  She very much deserves a little time to herself to enjoy life with her husband and dogs. Thank you, Mrs. Emerson, for the many years you have blessed us with your gifts and talents!  We are better for knowing you!  In lieu of an in-person retirement party, we will be creating a virtual album of gratitude and memories. Details to come.

Enrichment Cluster Update
We got off to a great start with our Enrichment Cluster Program in February!  Students and facilitators were really looking forward to exploring new ideas together. We obviously were not able to continue our Enrichment Cluster program through distance learning, however we do plan to continue this next fall. We are still working through our plan to do this, but hope to begin our Clusters again in September and go up until Thanksgiving Break. We will have specific dates for you in August. Most students will stay in the Enrichment Cluster they began in February, and we will be adding our new second graders to the set of clusters. We can't wait to see everyone together again at school!

Parent Input for Placement Next School Year
Normally in May, Mrs. Goldsworthy makes parent input sheets available in the school office. This year it will be available for download on the website by May 8th under the Parent Info menu. No emails, please.

REMINDERS & REPEATS

Financial Assistance Extension
The application for Financial Assistance is being extended due to the extension given for filing taxes. We are extending the deadline to apply for Financial Assistance to May 15th.  Please see last week’s Eagle Express for details.

May 5th Registration Fees
Registration fees for the 20-21 school year will withdraw on May 5th as scheduled. You should have received an email from FACTS stating the amount to be withdrawn. Please see last week’s Eagle Express for details.

If you find that your family's financial situation has been negatively impacted by recent events, and you have concerns about your ability to pay and continue at St. Eugene, please reach out to our Tuition Director, Liz Metz, or to Mrs. Goldsworthy to see if we can make arrangements to help.

The School Advisory Council (SAC) is looking for new members!
The primary role of the SAC is to advise the principal and pastor in policymaking to guide our school community in fulfilling our mission. We especially need volunteers with marketing, education, finance, law or facilities backgrounds. To serve, you must be a practicing Catholic parishioner, 18 years or older. If you’re interested in serving the Catholic School of St. Eugene in this way, please send an email to [email protected] by May 7 introducing yourself and highlighting strengths, experience/expertise, and any aspects of the school you are passionate about.

St. Eugene Catholic High School Scholarship Application for High School Year 2020-2021
This application is for any student whose family is registered and are active parishioners of St. Eugene Catholic Church. Students must have attended St. Eugene Catholic Church for more time than just their 8th grade year. Applications consist of student accomplishments and activities in church and school, current report card, student essay, and family federal tax return. Normally, the application is available in the school and church office. Due to the closures, please email Mrs. Goldsworthy and she can email you a copy of the application: [email protected] 

OKCPS Student Counseling Services
Our Title I counselor, Amie Mason, is now available to meet with any student who resides in OKCPS boundaries through Zoom or phone calls.  She has worked at St. Eugene this year offering whole class guidance lessons. Teachers and parents can refer a child for counseling. Reach out to Mrs. Goldsworthy if your child is struggling emotionally and would like to visit with Ms. Mason.  [email protected] 

Call SAM is a great resource for students and families. Call SAM continues to answer calls for in the moment support as well as working with students and families to determine what resources are available as well as modified ways to access during this time. Most counseling services are still providing counseling through virtual and hybrid methods. CALL SAM is available through Mercy Hospital 24-hour-a-day hotline CallSAM (1-855-225-2726)

2020-21 Calendar:  We will still have early dismissal on Tuesdays

• Aug. 12, 2020 - First Day of School

• Sept. 7th - No School (Labor Day)

• Sept. 25th - No School (Professional Day)

• Oct. 16th & 19th - No School (Fall Break)

• Nov. 23rd-27th - No School (Thanksgiving Break)

• Dec. 21st-Jan. 4th - No School (Christmas Break)

• Jan. 18th - School in Session (Day of Service)

• Feb. 15th - No School (Professional Day)

• Mar. 15th-19th (Spring Break)

• Apr. 5th - No School (Easter Monday)

• May 26th or 27th - Last Day (TBD)*

*If Fr. Wolf decides school will be in session on Good Friday, May 26th will be our last day.

Social Media
Did you know you can view both our Instagram and school Facebook pages without joining either media platform? View our latest photos, videos and updates in your internet browser after dismissing the pushes to sign up. You won't be able to comment or react, but this is one way to get those extra slices of school family and church life. (If you try to view on a phone, you may have a harder time dismissing the push to sign up and download the apps). You can also see our Facebook feed here on the school site at https://steugeneschool.org/socialmedia.

ST. EUGENE PARISH NEWS

Fr. John Peter Receives New Assignment
This is the time of year that some of our Archdiocesan priests receive new assignments. Father John Peter Swaminathan, who has been the associate pastor and a familiar face at the school for the last couple of years, has received his new assignment as pastor at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Purcell beginning July 1st. We are grateful for the time he has spent with us, and wish him the best! We will welcome Father Vic Luong as our new associate pastor beginning July 1st.

Drive Through Blessings!
We want to invite the entire parish for a "drive through blessing" after Mass this Sunday. We have 2100 families, spread over five Masses, and this is a perfect opportunity to say hello to old friends, and introduce yourself to new ones! 

After receiving your blessing, we are inviting each family to record a short greeting from their car window. We will put it all together and you will see our family in a whole new way.

Say something like "Hi, I'm Deacon Rob Blakely, and I can't wait to see everyone again." That way, each person introduces themselves to those who may not know them, or at least don't know their name.

Stay Connected with the Church!
Our church staff is doing such a great job trying to keep us connected! You can watch a livestream mass every weekday morning at 8:15 am on St. Eugene Church's Facebook page. Sunday morning mass is also streamed live at 9:30 am and 12:00 pm Sunday on the church YouTube page. 

You may have also seen the videos from the church about our parish's financial challenges. If you are able, please make sure you are donating online via Faith Direct (best), or you may mail or drop off checks and cash at the church office.