The Hornet's Buzz

April 11, 2025

Dear Holy Cross Community,

Happy Friday! A heartfelt thank you for your generous support of the Glow Run — it was a huge success and so much fun! Thanks to you, we’ve already surpassed last year’s fundraising total.

There’s still time to donate — the link will remain active until April 15th. We’ll be sharing the final amount raised next week! Please sign up at https://mybooster.com/v3 and consider sharing this page with family and friends.

Our first week of KAP testing concluded successfully. Our students are doing their best to show all the hard work they have put forth this school year. Unlike in previous years, the KAP Assessment results will not be available until Fall 2025. We look forward to celebrating our students' achievements.

Thanks also to all who attended STREAM Night yesterday and to Ms. Kopp for designing these wonderful experiences for our students! Ms. Kopp recently returned from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference in Philadelphia with the National STEM Scholar program (National STEM Cell Foundation)! She presented her 8th graders' research on food waste, "Unlocking the Potential: Utilizing Food Waste for Effective Carbon Footprint Reduction". Please join me in congratulating Ms. Kopp and her students for all her incredible accomplishments!

We also hosted our Kinder Round-Up sessions today. We were thrilled to screen 18 students who will be Kindergarteners at Holy Cross next school year, and look forward to welcoming more!

As we enter this sacred week leading up to Easter, may we take time to reflect on the love, sacrifice, and hope that are at the heart of our faith. Holy Week invites us to walk closely with Christ — through His Passion, death, and glorious Resurrection — and to renew our commitment to living with compassion, humility, and joy.

I am deeply grateful for the spirit of faith, kindness, and service each of you brings to our Holy Cross family. May the days ahead be filled with grace, and may Easter bring you and your loved ones renewed peace and joy.

Please see below for this week's updates.

Wishing you a blessed Holy Week,

Paola V. Clark, Ed.D.

Principal

KAP Assessments

State Assessments will continue on April 14 and 15 for Grades 3-8 (ELA/Math) and on April 22 and 23 for Grades 5 and 8 (Science).

A few reminders:

- Please ensure your student gets a good night’s sleep and eats breakfast.

- Encourage your student to work carefully and show their best effort.

- Assessments are mandatory, and it is important that students be present. Please be on time and do not schedule any appointments on those days.

- Families should have received a golden envelope with an important message to write encouragement letters for their students. The absolute last day to submit is Monday morning to your student's Homeroom teacher.

Grandparents and Special Persons Day

We look forward to hosting this event on Thursday, May 17 at 8:30 am. Since it falls on Holy Thursday, we will have a prayer service led by Fr. Marcos and students instead of Mass. We look forward to seeing you there!

Parent Appreciation Day

We look forward to appreciating our awesome parents on Friday, April 25, during drop off (Tree lot). Faculty and staff will be serving coffee and donuts. Thank you for all you do!

2025-2026 School Year

Our year-at-a-glance calendar will be shared next week. Please mark your calendars, as Tuesday, August 19, will be the first day of school (half-day—noon dismissal).

Tardies

This is a reminder that students should be dropped off between 7:50 and 8:00 a.m. every morning. Being on time to school is important to establish a routine, avoid missed educational experiences, bond, be consistent, and align with school expectations. Thank you for your cooperation.

Temporary School Phone Number

Thank you for your kind patience as the phone outage continues. As shared, we have a temporary number for you to reach the school at: 913-433-4164.

Summer Camp - Blast Off into Summer!

Holy Cross families will receive registration information via email on Monday.

STREAM Camp - STREAMing into a Bright Future

Mrs. Kopp will be offering STREAM Camps again this summer. Registration is Now Open.!

Absences and Tardies

If your student will be absent or tardy, please notify the Office (gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com) no later than 8:15 am. All lunch counts must be in by this time.

Electronic Devices

A reminder that per our handbook, students cannot have personal electronic devices in school without the principal's consent. These include bringing personal computers (excluding 6-8), iPads, music players, tape recorders, cameras, handheld video games, CELL PHONES, SMARTwatches, or items of a similar nature.

Please help us prioritize the safety and security of our students and staff. Parking is not permitted in the Tree lot during school hours. If you need to park and enter the school, please use the front parking lot by the main office. When exiting the parking lot, only turn right onto 95th. All visitors must stop by the front office to check in.

The Student-Parent Handbook for 2024-25 can be accessed here. Please note that as part of our continuous improvement efforts, this is a living document that will be revised as needed in order to nimbly respond to any needs that may arise. Any edits will appear in a different font color.

Education in Virtue is the Archdiocesan Catholic Social-Emotional Learning program, a key component of our Virtuous Formation Program. It provides a curriculum and resources developed by the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based on St. Thomas Aquinas’ teachings on the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. These resources provide a framework for helping people of all ages understand how to live more virtuously.

At Holy Cross, we highlight a virtue each month that is woven organically into lessons and our daily school life. These virtues are used in our announcements to guide our morning prayer, selection of the Saint of the Month, activities for our Faith Families, and classroom lessons. The virtue of March is Magnanimity.

The Saint of the month is St. Teresa of Calcutta.

This is to inform our community about measles. There has been a recent rise in measles cases in Kansas; however, no cases have been recorded in Johnson County. It's nevertheless important to be aware of how easily measles is spread, and the crucial role vaccines play in the spread of measles. Below is information on measles symptoms and vaccine clinics at the Johnson County Health Department. Please see the websites for the days of the week and times they are available.

Walk-in Clinic Mission Kansas

https://www.jocogov.org/contact-us/all-locations/northeast-offices

Walk-in Immunization Clinic Olathe, Kansas

https://www.jocogov.org/contact-us/all-locations/health-services-building

Esto es para informar a nuestra comunidad sobre el sarampión. Ha habido un aumento reciente de casos de sarampión en Kansas; sin embargo, no se ha registrado ningún caso en el condado de Johnson. Sin embargo, es importante ser consciente de la facilidad con que se propaga el sarampión y el papel crucial que desempeñan las vacunas en la propagación del sarampión. A continuación, encontrará información sobre los síntomas del sarampión y las clínicas de vacunación del Departamento de Salud del Condado de Johnson. Consulte los sitios web para conocer los días de la semana y los horarios en que están disponibles

Walk-in Clinic Mission Kansas

https://www.jocogov.org/contact-us/all-locations/northeast-offices

Walk-in Immunization Clinic Olathe, Kansas

https://www.jocogov.org/contact-us/all-locations/health-services-building

Our regular office hours are as follows. Please note that the school office will be closed during holidays and school year breaks.

Monday - Friday: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm

Noon dismissal: 7:30 am - 12:00 pm

Your students' classroom teachers are the best point of contact for any student matters. Our team will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible. Please note that it may take up to two business days to respond as our faculty and staff tend to students and duties throughout the day. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

In an emergency, please call or email the Front Office at gradeschool@holycrosscatholicschool.com, and we will assist.