The Wildcat Way

Loving God,
During the month of January, we thank You for the gift of new beginnings and fresh starts. In the quiet of winter and the cold of snowy days, help us to slow down, reflect, and draw closer to You.

Thank You for the beauty of snowflakes that fall gently from the sky. Each snowflake is unique, carefully created by You, just as each of us is uniquely made with purpose and love. Remind us that, like snowflakes, no two lives are the same, yet each one is precious and important in Your plan.

During the cold weather, keep our students and families safe, warm, and healthy. Bless those who must work, travel, or learn in winter conditions, and help us to care for neighbors who may be in need. May the stillness of winter remind us of Your constant presence, even when life feels quiet or challenging.

As snow covers the ground and makes all things new, help us to let go of past worries and grow in kindness, patience, and faith. May our words and actions reflect Your love, bringing light and joy to others, just as snow brightens a winter day.

We place our students, families, teachers, and community in Your loving care.
Guide us through this month with grateful hearts and renewed hope.

Amen.

Our kindergarten students have been learning about the special talents God gives to each one of us. Learning that we are created in God’s image and likeness, everyone is wonderfully unique and gifted in their own way. As part of this learning, students reflected on the talents God has placed in their hearts and joyfully shared them with others during a class talent show.

Enjoy the kindergarten students in Mrs. Brink's class showing off their talents!

As we plan for the 2026–2027 school year, we kindly ask families to complete and return the Letter of Intent to Return to St. Patrick Catholic School (SPCS). Your response is an important part of our planning process and directly supports our ability to provide the best possible learning experience for your child.

Knowing how many students plan to return allows us to thoughtfully plan our instructional staffing, class sizes, and student supports. This ensures we are meeting the academic, social, and spiritual needs of our students and continuing to provide purposeful instruction in a safe, faith-filled environment. Early planning helps us place the right teachers in the right classrooms and allocate resources where they are needed most to support student learning success.

Completing the Letter of Intent also helps us remain faithful to our mission at St. Patrick Catholic School, to prepare each child to reach their full potential in spiritual, academic, physical, and social growth while walking with Jesus every day. Your partnership and timely response allow us to make informed, mission-driven decisions that benefit our entire school community.

Please return the completed form by January 30th to help guide our decisions for the 2026–2027 school year. Thank you for your continued trust, support, and commitment to St. Patrick Catholic School.

ESA funding for the second half of the school year is now available to ESA participants.

Please log into the parent portal to approve tuition and fees for the second half of the year.

• Parent/Guardian action: Approve or deny tuition and fees for the second half of the school year.

• Parent Portal URL : https://iowa-households.withodyssey.com/login/

To maintain ESA eligibility for the rest of the 2025-26 school year, ESA participants must approve payment of tuition and fees within the Odyssey portal no later than February 1, 2026.

Questions regarding the payment process can be directed to the Odyssey Support Team at help.ia@withodyssey.com or 515-368-9564.

Other questions may be emailed to studentsfirst@iowa.gov.

We’re excited to add a little extra fun to our upcoming Winter Gala with a friendly attendance contest! The Winter Gala will be held on Saturday February 21, 2026 at the Allamakee Fairgrounds Pavilion. Tickets are just $25 per person and include a meal, drink ticket and an evening of fun supporting our school.

How the contest works:

• Each class will be competing to have the highest percentage of parents/guardians attend the Winter Gala.

• To receive credit for your student, at least one parent or guardian must attend the event.

• If you have more than one child at St. Patrick Catholic School, your attendance will count for each class in which you have a student.

• The class with the highest percentage of parent/guardian attendance will win a class bowling party! 🎳

We hope this friendly competition encourages families to join us for a wonderful evening of fellowship and support for our school. Thank you for being such an important part of our St. Pat’s community—we look forward to seeing you at the Gala!

Blessings, SPCS Winter Gala Committee

Please return completed order forms to your child’s classroom teacher by January 27th.

Orders will be filled and ready for pickup beginning February 11th.

Parents may pick up orders during Parent-Teacher Conferences on February 11th.

If you need additional order forms sent home, please notify your child’s classroom teacher, or visit our website under Parent Resources to print extra copies.

Thank you for continuing to support the Scrip program!

The next quarterly scrip order will take place mid to late April.

As always, online orders can be placed at any time.

How can we bring SELF-CONTROL into our school and home...

School

• Follow classroom rules
• Pause before speaking
• Stay focused on tasks

• Limit screen time
• Choose prayer over anger
• Practice saying “no” to distractions

• Did I make good choices today?

• Was there a time I stopped and thought before acting?

• What can help me make better choices tomorrow?

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22–23

⛪2nd Riley Mass @ 10:00am - January 23rd

✨🏫Catholic Schools Week - January 25th - 31st

🍪📖Cookies with Kids @ 2:30 - 3:00pm - January 27th

⛪5th Byrnes Mass @ 10:00am - January 30th

Safe, Respectful, & Responsible

💻School Website: www.spcswaukon.org

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📞St. Patrick Catholic School ph# 563-568-2415