The Wildcat Way
SPCS Newsletter - Learning, Loving, Lighting the Way
March Newsletter #2
🌟 Hallway Highlights 🌟
I follow Jesus by...
We are Lucky...
Story Activities
LAST CALL🍀
Press Your Luck
Tuesday, March 17th
Final chance to bring in 25 cents for your chance to pie a Wildcat staff member. Five students will be drawn at random to pie a Wildcat.
STO & ESA Applications
IMPORTANT!
Families can receive BOTH ESA and STO assistance.
Applying for both programs helps maximize tuition support.
School Tuition Organization (STO) Scholarships
STO scholarships are need-based scholarships funded by Iowa donors that help families pay private school tuition.
Key Dates
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Applications Open: January 1st, 2026
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Priority / Round 1 Deadline: May 1st, 2026
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Final deadline: August 1st, 2026
Who Qualifies
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Families with household income at or below 400% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Apply Here
Iowa Education Savings Account (ESA)
The Students First ESA program provides state funds that families can use toward tuition and approved educational expenses at accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa.
Key Dates (2026–2027 School Year)
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Application Opens: April 16, 2026 (8:00 AM)
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Application Deadline: June 30, 2026 (11:59 PM)
Who Is Eligible
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All Iowa K–12 students are eligible regardless of family income.
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Student must attend an accredited Iowa nonpublic school.
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Families must apply every year to receive ESA funds.
Estimated Funding
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Around $8,000+ per student per year (amount adjusts annually based on state funding).
Apply Here
🐾🍀 What's Happening at SPCS 🍀🐾
ISASP State Testing
🌟 ISASP Testing Tips for Students & Families : Grades 3rd - 5th
As we begin prepping and practicing for the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) in April, we want every student to feel confident and prepared.
These tips can help students do their very best!
💤 Get Plenty of Sleep
A good night's sleep helps your brain think clearly. Try to get 8–10 hours of sleep the night before testing.
🍳 Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Fuel your brain! A healthy breakfast helps students stay focused longer.
⏰ Arrive at School on Time
Being on time helps students feel calm and ready. Rushing can make anyone feel stressed.
💧 Stay Hydrated
Drink water in the morning and bring a water bottle if your school allows it.
🧠 Try Your Best
Students don’t need to be perfect, just try their best and show what they know.
📖 Take Your Time
Read questions carefully. If something seems tricky, students can:
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Skip it and come back later
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Eliminate answers that don’t make sense
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Use scratch paper if allowed
🌬️ Stay Calm
If students feel nervous:
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Take a slow deep breath
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Stretch quietly
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Remember they are prepared!
🌟 Encourage a Positive Mindset
Families can help by reminding students:
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“You’ve worked hard all year.”
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“Just do your best.”
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“We are proud of you no matter what.”
Summer Daycare
By completing the form above, you are simply helping us estimate the number of students who may attend both full-time and part-time so we can plan staffing accordingly. This information is not set in stone and is used solely for staffing purposes.
Please complete the form if you believe you will be using the summer daycare program.
Lenten Service Project
Coins for Care - Turning a “Pot of Gold” into Hope for Those in Need.
During Lent, we are called to pray, fast, and give alms.
While St. Patrick is often associated with shamrocks and pots of gold, he teaches us something deeper:
True treasure is found in faith, generosity, and caring for others.
Coins For Care
- Each classroom receives a “Pot of Gold” container
- Students are invited to donate spare change throughout Lent
Coins represent small sacrifices offered with great love.
At the end of Lent, collected funds will be used to purchase wish-list items for the Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for families.
“We turn our coins into care, our sacrifice into service, and our pot of gold into hope”
Fruit of the Spirit - PATIENCE
PATIENCE 💚
How can we bring Patience into our school and home...
School
- Wait your turn without complaining
- Keep trying when work is hard
- Listen fully when others are speaking
- Practice waiting without screens
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Take three deep breaths when frustrated
Give siblings time and grace
- When was it hard for me to be patient today?
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How did I handle waiting or frustration?
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What can help me be more patient tomorrow?
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22–23
🔆 Important Events & Reminders 🔆
March Dates
⛪ 1st Grade Hauber Mass @ 10:00am - Tuesday, March 17th
🍎No School - Wednesday, March 18th Teacher Inservice
🟢No School Mass - Friday, March 20th
🍎No School - Friday, March 27th Teacher Comp Day
🟢No School Mass - Friday, March 27th
⛪Stations of the Cross Presentation - Wednesday, April 1st @ 1:30pm in Church
📌1 Hour Early Out - Thursday, April 2nd
💜No School - Friday, April 3rd Good Friday
Archdiocese of Dubuque
Lenten/Easter Reflections 2026
Tuesday, March 17 Station VIII — Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem
Amid the chaos of His Passion, Jesus stops to speak to a group of women weeping for Him: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children” (Luke 23:27-31). Even in His suffering, He shows mercy and invites reflection, turning their tears into a call to live with love and care.
Like these women, we all face moments of sorrow and struggle. Jesus invites us to let our pain lead us to growth and conversion, trusting that love can transform grief into hope.
Christ invites you to turn to Him—not to hide in shame, but to receive His mercy and healing. How is love transforming you here?
Friday, March 20 Station IX — Jesus Falls the Third Time
Jesus falls once more beneath the weight of the Cross, utterly exhausted, yet He rises again. This final fall shows us that love does not quit, even when strength is gone and the road feels unbearable. Christ meets us at our lowest point, proving that weakness is not the end—it is where grace draws closest.
Christ rises for you, even when you feel unable to go on. How is love transforming you here?
Sunday, March 22
As Lent deepens, Jesus reminds us that love often grows through sacrifice and surrender. What seems like loss in our lives can become the very place where God brings new life. Even now, the promise of Resurrection is quietly unfolding in places that feel hidden or broken.
Christ is working new life within you. Where might love be asking you to trust that something beautiful is still growing?
Tuesday, March 24 Station X — Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments
Jesus is stripped of His garments as soldiers divide them by lot (Jn 19:23–24), fulfilling Psalm 22: “They divide my garments among them.” Exposed and humiliated, Christ freely accepts this stripping in loving obedience to the Father. Where sin once caused Adam and Eve to hide, Jesus, sinless, holds nothing back—bearing our shame so we may be clothed in grace.
Christ clothes us in grace so we never have to hide. How is love transforming you here?
Friday, March 27 Station XI — Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross
As Jesus is nailed to the Cross, His body is fixed in place—but His heart remains radically free. From this place of complete vulnerability, He prays, “Father, forgive them” (Lk 23:34). Jesus looks beyond the violence to the hearts of those who harm Him, choosing mercy over accusation. Even when He cannot move, love still acts. Forgiveness becomes the final freedom no one can take from Him.
Love inviting you to forgive today. How is love transforming you here?
Sunday, March 29
Hosanna! On Palm Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, greeted with palms and shouts of praise. Yet this joyful welcome foreshadows His Passion—Love both acclaimed and challenged. As we enter Holy Week, the Church invites us to journey with Christ through suffering toward Resurrection, holding fast to hope and faith.
Where is love inviting you to welcome Christ into your heart this week?
SPCS Weather Chart
🐾 SPCS School Wide PBIS Expectations 🐾
I CAN BE...
Safe, Respectful, & Responsible
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