St. Patrick Catholic School
Principal's Newsletter - Oct 8, 2026
Enrollment Growth and School Mass Schedule
The school year is off to a tremendous start! Our students and staff have been working hard, and we are excited to share some positive news about our school. This year, our K–8 enrollment has grown to 213 students, an increase of 15 students from last year. Over the past four years, we have also seen strong enrollment in our kindergarten classes, with between 26 and 34 students entering kindergarten each year. This continued growth is an encouraging sign of the confidence families have in St. Patrick Catholic School. Increased enrollment strengthens our school community, brings new families into our faith community, and helps support the continued growth and vitality of our school.
This school year we have decided to celebrate School Mass every Wednesday throughout the remainder of the school year, beginning October 7. Gathering weekly for Mass provides our students and staff with more frequent opportunities to come together in prayer, celebrate the Eucharist, and strengthen our Catholic faith. There will be one exception to our regular Wednesday schedule in December. We will celebrate School Mass on Tuesday, December 8, in observance of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
We will also celebrate a special Veterans Day Mass on Wednesday, November 11. We invite veterans and their families to join us for this meaningful celebration as we recognize and thank those who have served our country. Please watch upcoming school newsletters for a registration link for veterans who plan to attend. A reception for veterans and their families will follow Mass in the Parish Commons.
We are grateful for the continued support of our families and parish community. As St. Patrick Catholic School continues to grow, we look forward to building on that momentum while keeping our Catholic faith at the center of all we do.
School Mass Schedule for remainder of the first semester. All Masses will start at 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday, October 28
Wednesday, November 4
Wednesday, November 11- Veteran’s Mass
Wednesday, November 18
Wednesday, December 2
Tuesday, December 8 - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - Holy Day
Wednesday, December 16
*(There will not be a Pet Mass this school year)
Blessings,
Mr. Wiebers
Parents will be receiving an email next week with information on how to sign up for our student led parent-teacher conferences, which will be held on October 28th and 29th. Please be watching your email next week for information on how to get signed up!
Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school!
Dates: October 26-29th (Parent-Teacher Conference Week)
Location: MPR/School Library
This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books that will get them excited about reading, while also earning funds for our school.
Preview the books coming to the Fair by taking a 360° virtual tour via our school’s Book Fair homepage and explore the titles, watch video book trailers, and more.
We can’t wait to see you at the Fair and help every student discover a book they’ll love!
Happy Reading!
Iowa law requires students to be immunized against certain diseases in order to attend school. Parents/guardians may request an exemption if they qualify.
Exemptions available:
Medical exemption – signed by a licensed health care provider stating immunization would harm the student’s health.
Religious exemption – based on genuine and sincere religious beliefs, submitted on an official form.
To file an exemption:
Complete the official Iowa Certificate of Immunization Exemption form.
Submit the form to your school office before exemption status is granted.
Students with exemptions may be excluded from school during disease outbreaks.
Forms and more information: Iowa HHS – Immunization Requirements & Exemptions
Navigate to Immunizations and Vaccination
Our school is committed to supporting students and families while following applicable court orders and Archdiocesan policy regarding parental access to student information. In accordance with Archdiocesan Policy #5124, when parents are divorced or have never been married, both parents’ names and addresses should be included in the student information system, and a certified copy of any applicable custody or dissolution order, including subsequent modifications, must be on file.
Unless a court order specifically provides otherwise, information commonly shared with parents, such as school and program notices, report cards, and parent-teacher conference opportunities, should be provided to both parents.
When conflicting instructions, objections, or requests arise that the school is not clearly authorized to honor, the school may ask both parents to seek appropriate court instructions.
Our goal is to remain neutral, follow the applicable legal documents and Archdiocesan policy, and ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of the student. Families are encouraged to communicate directly with school administration regarding questions or concerns so that we can work collaboratively toward a clear and appropriate resolution.
Our billing office has requested that if you have outstanding bills for tuition, Circle of Care, or lunch balances that you contact us to make payment arrangements, or send in your check payment with your student.
If you would like to pay online, you can use our online payment portal EzSchoolpay. Your student ID number for getting set up is located at the top of your invoice.
To keep everyone informed of unexpected changes in the school schedule due to weather, or other important announcements, we use the Remind alert notification system. In addition to this, we send out an email from the school and post the information on our social media pages. For changes due to weather, we also inform KWWL.
Our weather policy is posted as “Weather Announcements” under the Quick Links on the home page of the school website.
Through the Remind alert notification system, parents can sign up for text alerts, push notifications (when you download the Remind app), or emails.
If you are new to St Patrick School, or have not signed up in the past, text @cd4he to 81010. If you're having trouble with 81010, text @cd4he to (619) 450-1267. For emails only, go to rmd.at/cd4he on a computer to sign up for email notifications. You do not need to sign up again if you have signed up before.
Just a reminder that Transportation Reimbursement Request Forms for the second semester are due! If you live more than 2 miles from school and transport your student(s) to and from school, you may be eligible for state reimbursement.
If you haven’t submitted your first semester form yet, a paper copy was sent home with your youngest student today. You can also download and fill out the form for your district at the link below and return it to school office by Monday, October 12th.
Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Waterloo School District
Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Cedar Falls School District and surrounding districts
Students on our morning or afternoon bus route are not eligible.
As a reminder, students are allowed to wear shorts and skirts without tights or leggings until our last scheduled day of October. When we return to school on Nov. 2nd all students will need to wear uniform approved pants or skirts/jumpers with leggings or tights underneath. No bare legs from November 1st through March 31st. This applies to both boys and girls.
Leggings alone are not considered uniform bottoms.
Please look over our dress code as we change seasons and prepare for cooler months ahead.
Looking for a way to get involved and make a difference at St. Pat's? CPTO is a service organization dedicated to supporting our students, teachers, and families. The funds we raise help provide classroom resources, teacher professional development, student and family events, and other opportunities that make the St. Pat's experience so special.
We use Sign Up Genius to help parents sign up in the area they are able to help most. Please check out our form and get signed up today! We have openings to lead committee chairs, as well as opportunities to help out at school. Please note that if we are unable to fill positions some of these activities may go away, so sign up today!
St Patrick’s Catholic Church Halloween Costume Sale
St Patrick’s Catholic Church is having a huge Halloween Costume Sale going on in the St Pats Church Link Hallway this week! Come by and get some great gently-used costumes for FREE WILL DONATION! That means pay whatever you want to or can - want to pay $20 and snag 4 costumes? Awesome. All proceeds go to the parish. There are costumes for all sizes - babies up to adults. Some of these are handmade. We also have accessories! They are double sided racks so feel free to pull them away from the wall to browse. We ask that you put things back on the racks and tidy up after visiting (this is a church, not a store where we have someone restocking).
There is a QR code next to the costume rack that you can scan to donate OR feel free to drop cash off at the church office. To get in, head through the church office doors (located on the corner of Main and 7th Street) and they can direct you down the hallway. Hours are 9am-5pm *after 4pm you can hit the call button in the entryway, and Justin can buzz you in.
Musical Performances Schedule
We have several important dates for student musical performances to add to your calendar for the 2026-27 school year. More information for these programs will be shared with families closer to performance times.
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. - Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Christmas concert
Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. - 3rd/4th Grade Christmas Musical
Thursday, Apr. 8, 2027 at 7:00 p.m. - 5th/6th Grade Spring Musical
Thursday, May 6, 2027 at 7:00 p.m. - 7th/8th Grade Spring Musical
Band Performance Schedule
Mrs. Lawrence does an amazing job with our student band. Please join us for our upcoming Band concerts. These dates are listed below. Get them added to your calendar for an exciting evening of student musical performances.
December 15th at 6:00 p.m. - please note the earlier time
May 4th at 2:30 and 7:00 p.m.
As the weather has begun to cool off this week, now is the perfect time to start thinking about uniform approved apparel for the winter months ahead. Our apparel store at Iowa Sports Supply is open for ordering year round. All purchases and order pick ups are handled directly through ISS.
This year food bank volunteer nights will fall on the first Thursday of the month (except May which I will follow up on as it gets closer due to the 7/8 musical) 6-7:30. Anyone kindergarten and older is able to participate!
Due to ongoing construction at the food bank, the number of volunteers allowed in one time slot is limited and strictly enforced so I will need people to email me at erinyoungblut@gmail.com to sign up.
Due to popular demand, we're bringing back the Sailor Ugly Christmas Sweatshirts!
Let's get ready to be festive!
Complete the order form at the link below to reserve yours.
Ugly Christmas Sweatshirt
Payment must be received before orders are processed.
Orders are due by October 26. Pick up on November 29th at CHS!
If you have any questions, please reach out to: chsboosters@cvcatholic.org
🏀⛹️♀️Sailor Nation Girls Basketball🏀⛹️♀️
Sailor Nation Girls Basketball is open to 3rd through 8th graders and will run from mid October to late January. Each grade will practice at least twice per week and participate in tournaments and/or leagues throughout the winter. The goal of Sailor Nation Girls Basketball is to build fundamentals and foster growth in the sport. There will be a minimal participation fee to cover tournament and league entry fees, facility fees, and uniforms.
Registration deadline is Friday, October 16th, 2026.
Please register here: https://forms.gle/QWixMQzNuDdt7Aqo6
This year's coaches are:
3rd Grade: VOLUNTEER STILL NEEDED
4th Grade: Kara Bearbower
5th Grade: William Brandle
6th Grade: Janae Gross
7th Grade: Nicole Whitehead, Erica Andrews & Dustin Whitehead
8th Grade: Jimmy Kehl
Please contact Anne Ferris at 319-290-2893 or anneferris1@gmail.com or Dustin Whitehead at 319-961-6545 or dustinwwhitehead@gmail.com with any questions or are interested in coaching.
Please note that this is separate from St. Patrick Girls Basketball for grades 5 - 8.
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