St. Patrick Catholic School
Principal's Newsletter - January 22, 2026
January 22nd, 2026
Giving Our Faith the Time It Deserves
I grew up in an athletic family and truly enjoyed playing sports. I looked forward to practices and especially the games. It wasn’t just for the competition and the celebration of victory, but for the teamwork and sense of belonging they provided. When I began my teaching career, I had the opportunity to coach at the high school level, which further deepened my appreciation for athletics. Through those experiences, I came to understand just how important athletics (and the fine arts) are in the lives of our youth. They teach valuable life lessons such as perseverance, commitment, leadership, and working toward a common goal.
Today, our youth are busier than ever. Many students participate in multiple activities, each with several practices during the week, along with games, performances, and tournaments on the weekends. I often hear students talk about their packed evenings and even busier weekends. As parents and educators, we work hard to support them, getting them to practices, cheering them on, and encouraging them to give their best effort.
With all of this in mind, I find myself reflecting on an important question: What would our Catholic Faith look like if we (myself included) gave our Catholic Faith the same attention, time, and commitment that we give to all the other activities in our children’s lives? What if prayer, Mass, faith formation, and service were treated with the same priority as practices and games? What if growing in our relationship with Christ was something we prepared for, practiced, and celebrated regularly?
Our Faith, like athletics or the fine arts, requires time, effort, and consistency. It is strengthened through regular participation and modeled by the adults in our children’s lives. When we make our Catholic Faith a priority, we teach our children that their relationship with God and Catholic Faith is not just another activity, but the foundation upon which everything else is built.
As we continue to support our youth in their many pursuits, let us also reflect on how we can intentionally nurture their faith at home, at school, and as a parish community. By doing so, we help them grow not only as athletes, musicians, artists, and students, but as faithful disciples of Christ.
Blessings,
Mr. Wiebers
For parents who have tuition or Circle of Care payments to claim on their taxes, forms were sent home with your youngest K-8th grade student today. Please check their backpacks and save this document for tax time!
Clover Patch Preschool registration is now open! If you have a preschool age student and did not receive an email from the office with registration information, please let us know.
As we enter Second Winter, we remind families to sign up for the Remind App announcements for weather delays, cancellations, announcements. Our winter weather information can also be found here: Winter Weather Announcements
Please make sure students are wearing or bringing their coats, snow pants, hats, mittens and boots as our winter weather has returned. While some mornings may be too cold to be outside before school starts, often the weather warms enough to go outside for recess. Our policy for K-8th grade students is that if the temp is above zero, and it's not actively raining, the students will play outside for recess.
What is a School Tuition Organization?
A School Tuition Organization (STO) is a charitable organization that receives voluntary cash contributions from Iowa taxpayers and allocates those funds in tuition grants to Iowa school children, who use those grants to attend one of the accredited non-public schools represented by the STO. At least ninety percent (90%) of the money received by an STO must go back out in tuition grants.
Who is eligible to receive these tuition grants?
K-12 students who reside in Iowa and whose household’s taxable income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty rate are eligible for STO grants. STO grants are not available for preschool students.
Applications to apply for STO are being accepted now. You must first login or create an account through FACTS Management to apply. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
St. Patrick Catholic School
Clover Patch Preschool Ages 3-5
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Email: office@cfcatholicschool.org
Website: cfcatholicschool.org
Location: Cedar Falls, IA, USA
Phone: 319-277-6781