The Panther Post Newsletter

September 12, 2025

Dear Presentation Community,

It was a wonderful first full week of the school year! I had the chance to play football with the middle schoolers at recess and work on an art project with 4th grade. I am so happy to have your kiddos back in the building!

If you’ve been part of our community for more than a year, you may have noticed that our Curriculum Night—usually held in late September—was not on this year’s calendar. We know that the start of the school year is a very busy time with sports, routines, and the general busyness of fall. With that in mind, we have decided to offer a digital version of Curriculum Night this year.

Instead of in-person presentations at the school, your child’s homeroom teacher will be sharing either a letter or a short video presentation. These will include key information such as curriculum highlights, daily schedules, classroom expectations, teacher contact information, and more.

Once you’ve had a chance to review your teacher’s letter or video, please don’t hesitate to reach out directly to your child's teacher if you’d like additional details or have specific questions.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we begin another exciting school year!

God Bless,

Matt

We are ready to start taking orders for Panther Pride Benefit T-Shirts!

For our new families, the Panther Pride Benefit is our school's big annual fundraiser. The main event is held in April and consists of a dinner and auction held here at Presentation, but it also has various "extensions" - such as t-shirt and raffle ticket sales (raffle tickets will come later in the year) - all in efforts to raise funds in support of our awesome school!

Click on the link below to order your shirt. All shirt orders are due by Friday, September 26th!

We are hoping to fill the following roles on the Panther Pride Benefit Committee, and are inviting all school family members to be a part of this exciting effort. It's a fun, rewarding way to connect with others and make a real impact on the future of our school (not to mention earn yourself some service hours!).

• Service Coordinator: Reaches out to former Presentation students to see if they want to help out the night of (potential roles include greeters, table bussers, etc.). Works to generate interest in helping at the event within the school community (via communications, a sign-up genius).
• Technology Platform: Understands any of the following functions: registration, thank you notes, receipt generation, open/closing bidding, recording night of game purchases, winners of live auction/fund-a-need donors sign an extra acknowledgement, silent auction, live auction prize creation, etc. We have a new technology platform. Multiple people will be needed for this effort.
• Decorations: In conjunction with the theme of the event, executes a creative vision within a pre-determined budget.

Participation in these roles includes (mostly) independent work performed at your convenience. Our remaining meetings (mostly virtual) are the following dates: 11/11/25, 1/13/26, 2/10/26, 3/17/26, 4/7/26, & 4/14/26. Any interest in or questions regarding the roles can be directed to pantherpridebenefit@pbvmstudents.org.

Earlier this week an email went out giving families the chance to sign up for TalkingPoints, our new emergency notification system. It was brought to our attention that the settings on the sign up form required people to have a Google account - oops! That has since been fixed and anyone can now complete the form to opt in to receive school emergency notifications.

Ms. Hennessey and Mr. Rueter are leading Donuts and Devotionals this year! The first session took place this week and will continue throughout the year each Thursday morning beginning at 7:30am in Mary's Room. All students in grades 6-8 are invited to attend. Students should ring the office doorbell and Ms. Davini will let them in.

For our new families, Donuts and Devotionals is an optional weekly gathering for middle school students to dive a bit deeper into their faith and prayer life and explore various service projects that will help those in need in our community. We hope to see you all there!

Our Annual Halloween Party is always one of the most fun events of the year. Our students and families LOVE getting to dress up and hang out with each other. We are looking for someone (or a few people) to take over the planning of this wonderful tradition! We have knowledgeable past planners that are willing to answer questions and provide suggestions for you, or you are certainly allowed to put your own new spin on it! If you are interested or have any questions please contact the school at 651-777-5877. Thanks in advance for your support of our school!

Our Fall Festival will be here before we know it! Join us on September 27-28 for our annual Parish Fall Festival. There are lots of ways to help out:

1. Help out: follow the link below to see our volunteer opportunities and to sign up.

2. Donate items: We’re looking for donations of Gatorade bottles, 2-liter sodas, and movie box-sized candy, which can be dropped off at the school or parish office. Books, puzzles, and movies will be accepted for the Book Booth. Cakes & pies can be purchased or homemade for the Cake Walk. No pick-up. All items can be dropped off on Saturday, September 27 from 9am—12pm.

3. Theme Baskets for the Basket Booth: Make a theme basket of any variety using new, unused items, and if food, only non-perishable food (no chocolate). Or donate those items and gift cards and we will make one for you! Donations can be dropped off at the parish office.

If you have any questions or are interested in helping out, contact co-chairs Nikki Giel (nikkigiel@gmail.com) or Toutha Ly (toutha.ly@gmail.com).

All boys in grades Kindergarten through Grade 8 are invited to join us on Friday, October 3, starting at 5:30 p.m. for the St. Thomas Academy Cadets Football game. RSVP at cadets.com/gridiron to receive FREE Admission! At the Showdown you'll meet coaches, enjoy pre-game sideline access, and welcome the team onto the field!

Picture day will be Friday, October 10th. Students may come out of uniform that day to get their picture taken. If they are absent, retake day is Friday, November 14th. You will be notified via email by our photography company, Slow Road Photography, when your child's pictures are ready and you can order directly from them, so keep an eye on your inbox. If you have any questions regarding Picture Day or ordering photos, please contact Slow Road Photography at hello@slowroadphoto.com.

Camp I Can will be running an MEA break pop up camp for boys and girls in grades 1, 2 and 3 for any child interested, regardless of the school they attend.

It is located at St. Therese in Deephaven, MN on Thursday, October 16th from 9am-2pm. The cost is $150 a student, giving a $20 discount for those who register before September 20th.

We will be covering topics to develop coping skills for everyday stressors, helping facilitate real life practice of social skills, and help campers feel prepared to self-regulate.

Learn More: https://www.campicanusa.com/

Register: https://pci.jotform.com/campicanpsc/cic-popup-oct16

Dates and Pricing: https://www.campicanusa.com/dates-pricing

Sept 14: Panther Classic Golf Tournament

Sept 21: All School Mass, 9:00am

Sept 27-28: Parish Fall Festival

October 10: Picture Day

Oct 16-17: No School - MEA

Oct 20-22: 7th Grade at Wolf Ridge ELC

Oct 25: Halloween Party

Come help us honor Sr. Kathy at the 9:00am Mass on October 19th, followed by a Coffee Sunday reception in Kenny Hall with her. Sr. Kathy was our faith formation director for many years at Presentation, and also worked in the school. She was loved by all. If you would like to make her a Spiritual Bouquet, it is simply a card with a listing of Masses, Rosaries, Holy Communion, Visits to the Adoration Chapel, etc., all offered up for her in celebration of her 75-year vocation to the Benedictines and her service to our children and the poor. We will take your Spiritual Bouquet at the parish office or in the offertory at Mass, and add it to a scrap book we will present to her on October 19th. If you have any questions or want to help , call Kay Mottaz at 651-842- 6022.

Every Third Saturday is a veteran support organization located near the VA Hospital. They are in need of the following:

• Men's and Women's winter clothing: Gently used blue jeans, shirts, hats, gloves, coats, backpacks, duffel bags, bath towels, sheets
• Low cost personal items: Razors, Shaving Cream, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Peroxide, Hand Soap, Mouthwash, Muscle Rub/Icy Hot, Hand Lotion, Foot & Body Powder, Chap Stick, Baby Wipes, Paper Towels, Kleenex, toilet paper, Q-tips, laundry detergent
• Men: New boxer underwear & crewneck t-shirts (XL-5XL)
• Women: New briefs M(6), L(7)XL (8)

Starting on September 21st, there will be two donation boxes in the church until the 12th of October. Questions? Call Tom Kramer at (612) 968-4416 or contact the parish office.