St. Patrick Catholic School

Recently our kindergarten students got to participate in Safety City, where they learned pedestrian safety, bicycle rules, school bus safety, fire prevention, and how to respond to emergencies.

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

• Immunization Exemption - Medical

• Immunization Exemption - Religious

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.

Leader in Me Week is October 5-9th. On Friday, Sept. 30th your youngest student will bring home a paper copy of this form, along with a family assignment. Be sure to get your family homework turned in by Monday, October 12th for a special prize!

This year's Trunk or Treat is less than a month away! Please check out our Sign-Up Genius form to see what is needed for this year! We do have quite a few items that we are still in need of donations!

This safe alternative to trick or treating is made possible by the generous donations provided by our school families. Thank you for all your support!

Fire Prevention Week™ is October 4–10, 2026. “Charge Into Fire Safety™. Safe Charging Is a Superpower” focuses on the everyday charging habits that can help reduce the risk of lithium-ion battery fires and keep homes and communities safer.

Just a reminder that Transportation Reimbursement Request Forms for the second semester will be due soon. 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. Students on our morning or afternoon bus route are not eligible.

If you haven’t submitted your first semester form yet, download and fill out the form for your district at the link below and return it to school office by September 30th:

Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Waterloo School District

Transportation Reimbursement Requests - Cedar Falls School District and surrounding districts

Students in grades 5-8th are eligible to participate in our Mathcounts team. Please have interested students sign up in the school office.

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!

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

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.

St. Patrick’s 2026 Fall Festival is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 4, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM. The festival includes a turkey dinner, pumpkin patch, bake sale, Halloween costume sale, and a new Family Fun Area in the St. Pat's school lot featuring bounce houses, games, and drinks. Dinner tickets will be $15 for adults, $5 for children grades K-5, and children preschool age and younger are free. Family dinner tickets will be available for $50 per family. If you need service hours, check out the links below to help out.

St. Patrick’s Church is collecting gently used Halloween Costumes for the Fall Festival this year. The costumes will be sold for free-will donation, and all proceeds will benefit the parish. Drop your costume donations off at the church office or in the donation bin at the back of church.

Fall Festival Volunteers

Fall Festival Donations

Saint Mary Church in Waverly invites you to 'Cinnamon Rolls with the Saints' on Sunday, November 1st. Children are encouraged to dress as saints for this Mass. All are invited!

St. Patrick School Families,

Hello again from the School Board. My name is Patrick Burke, and I'm in my 5th year serving on

the School Board. It has been a great year so far, and we are excited to share some highlights

of our recent school board meeting from September 17.

We heard from a few of our teachers, Mr. Gibney and Mr. Johnson about how the year has

begun. They both expressed appreciation for the new ELA curriculum. Our previous curriculum

was from many years ago, and the structure and consistency has been a great help in ensuring

student success, and better planning from the staff.

We also kicked off discussions on how best to establish a true vision for the school. We've been consistently working towards setting strategic goals and board priorities over the past few years, and we're keeping that momentum going with some formal updates to our vision. This process will include representatives from the parish, school staff, board, and parents. Stay tuned for more updates.

We also further discussed the volunteer opportunities at St. Patrick's. We've focused on making volunteer opportunities a priority for the students and families of the school, and we're looking

for great ways to highlight outstanding volunteers as well as the variety of opportunities for each

of you to get involved.

On behalf of the school board, I'd like to extend our gratitude for your continued involvement,

prayers, and support.

Thank you, and God bless you.

Patrick Burke

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.

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.

Join the State Champion Columbus Dance Team for a day of fun and dancing!

Register online: https://www.gobound.com/ia/schools/columbuscatholic/camps

Children Pre-K to 8th grade are welcome for a fun afternoon followed by a performance with other area teams at the Columbus Showcase beginning at 4 p.m.

CAMP DETAILS
When: Sunday, October 18th from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Check in begins at 12:30 p.m.)
Where: Columbus High School Gymnasium
Cost: $45 and includes clinic t-shirt, snack, and one free admission to the Columbus Showcase!

Contact cbusdanceteam@gmail.com with questions.

Past Newsletters

Refer a Family to St. Patrick

Winter Weather Announcements - sign up for the Remind App

Remind App

Apparel Store

2026-27 Academic Calendar

EZSchoolPay

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