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PARENT PORTAL     ALUMNI
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PARENT INFO

Click one of the buttons below to jump to a section. 

STUDENT HANDBOOK
SPORTS
ESSENTIALS TO KNOW
FINE ARTS
BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
EVERYTHING ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW

Message to STARS Parents from Dr. Tim Uhl, Superintendent, Diocese of Buffalo

Supply Lists

2020-21 Uniform Order Sheet

Kindergarten Supply List

Montessori PK Supply List

Grade 1 Supply List

Grade 2 Supply List

Grade 3 Supply List

Grade 4 Supply List

Grade 5 Supply List

Jr. High Supply List

Sports

STARS competes in the Diocesan Sports Leagues and follows the Diocesan Athletic Policies. Transportation to and from practices, meets, and games is the responsibility of the parent. Coaches are volunteers (typically parents). There is a small annual fee for each student who participates in sports in addition to tuition to cover the cost of insurance and entry fees into leagues and meets. Parents and Student Athletes are directed to the Diocesan Catholic Elementary School Athletic Handbook  for further information on the sports programs including the Sports Code of Ethics for Players and Parents. 

  • Fall
    • Cross Country – coed and available to grades 6-8
      • practice is after school a couple of days a week
      • meets are on Mondays at Cazenovia Park in South Buffalo

    Winter

    • Basketball – boys and girls teams based upon interest and available to grades 6-8 and 5th grade with special permission
      • practice is after school a couple of days a week
      • games occur all over Western New York in the evening and on weekends

    Spring

      • Track – coed and available to grades K-8 (K and 1st Graders must have a parent at all practices and do not compete)
        • practice is after school (sometimes in the evening) – at SGI High School track when available
        • meets are at Orchard Park High School, St. Francis High School, and Canisius Fields in the evening and on weekends including Sunday
      • Bowling (Pre-K & up)

Essentials To Know

Before The First Day of School

 

  • The school day is 8:30a.m. – 3:00p.m. You can drop your child off beginning at 8:00a.m. in his/her classroom as teachers are in the rooms at that time.  If you need to drop off before 8:00a.m., then you must use the Before School Program.

 

  • Uniform exchange – A uniform exchange is available to all families at no cost. We encourage you to contact the School Office to set up a time to pick up uniforms or donate gently used uniforms students have outgrown.  This is available all calendar year.  New uniform shirts and girl’s skirts and jumpers maybe purchased from Land’s End or through the School’s supplier.  You may also purchase your own shirts and have them embroidered with the School’s logo by bringing them to the School Office and they will be sent to the School’s supplier and embroidered for a fee. 

 

  • Get connected
    • Download the STARS App by searching “St. Aloysius Regional School” in your phone’s app store.  The STARS app provides the ability to see the entire Student Handbook, report student absence and change dismissal time, as well as view the Wednesday Communication. 
    • Connect on Facebook with School Families by searching for the St. Aloysius Regional School Parent Page under Groups. This page is a closed group so only members can see the posts and who is a member. This page is intended for sharing information among the families.  You can ask questions; share photos and videos you take during the year; and share information with other families on education/extra-curricular opportunities others may be interested.
    • Follow STARS on Facebook by following the St. Aloysius Regional School page. This is the school’s online, social image that you can share, comment, love, and like.

 

  • Bring School Supplies to Backpack Blessing and Family Picnic. You can and should bring school supplies to the Backpack Blessing and Family Picnic.  We recommend placing them in a bag labeled with the student’s name.  They are placed on a table during the Family Picnic and the teachers take them to their room so they are ready for the students on the first day.

 

  • Buddy/Mentor Program – All elementary students are paired with a “Buddy” within the first few weeks of school. For the younger students they have middle school buddies.  This is unique to STARS and helps middle school students act as role models to elementary students.  The elementary students sit with their Buddy during Mass and are paired together during various events during the year.

 

  • Send a water bottle daily filled with water. Students can keep them in the classroom and refill if needed during the day. 

 

  • The school is not air conditioned. Ensure a student layers accordingly in the Fall and Spring.

 

  • Snack – Most classes have snack time and you must send snack in with the student. Each teacher should be consulted for her/his classroom rule on snack.

 

  • Lunch – there is a school lunch program if you do not want to send a lunch. Even if a student brings a lunch she/he can buy milk, snacks, and ice cream in the cafeteria.  If a student forgets his/her lunch there is always cereal available.  There are usually three sittings for lunch – K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.  Volunteers monitor lunch time. This is a perfect way to volunteer your time if you are looking for an opportunity and it can be done on a rotating basis.

 

  • Students have recess daily. They generally go outside everyday unless it is raining or the temperature is too cold in the winter.  They have physical education twice weekly.

 

  • Ensure each student brings a backpack and/or bag every day as things are brought home daily.

 

  • Dismissal procedure – If picking up a student during regular dismissal the person picking up the student must be on the list. If you change who is picking up then you must timely notify the school.  If you are picking up a student during school hours you must be buzzed in to enter the building and immediately report to the office to sign in.  See the school policy for full details but it is important for safety reasons to follow the school policy.

Fine Arts

Art

  • K-8 participate in art class once per week. Students need to bring a smock (an old adult t-shirt that fits over the clothes they are wearing to school is fine).
  • There is a Spring Art Show displaying K – 8 artwork.

Music

  • K-8 have music class once per week.
    • Recorder instruction is in 3rd
    • Chimes instruction is in 7th
    • Bells instruction is in 8th
  • Pre-K-8 have a separate class for chorus once per week.
  • Pre-K – 8 participate in and must attend two (2) concerts annually – Christmas Concert and Spring Concert.
    • All concerts require “Sunday best dress’.
    • K-8 students are required to stay for the entire concert and support fellow students.
    • Pre-K students may leave after the Pre-K Chorus performance.

Instrumental Music

  • The school band consists of all students taking instrument lessons.
    • The band rehearses one time per week.
    • The band performs in two (2) concerts annually – Christmas Concert and Spring Concert.
  • Private instrument lessons are provided through Paul Effman music service – see, pemusic.com for detailed information on Paul Effman music school.
  • Instrument lessons are ½ hour in small groups paid for in addition to school tuition on a monthly basis. Instruments may be rented or purchased.  Information and pricing provided the first week of school.
  • Instrument lessons begin in K with ukulele.
  • String instrument lessons and ukulele can begin in 1st
    • Students typically perform in the Spring concert as a group separate from the school band.
  • Traditional band instruments begin in 4th

Musical

  • An annual musical is performed generally around late March at Springville Center for the Arts (ticket purchase required). Musicals that have been performed in the past include: Seussical Jr, Beauty and the Beast Jr, Peter Pan Jr, Little Mermaid Jr, Elf The Musical Jr, and Mary Poppins Jr.
  • Musical is open to grades 4-8.
  • Parent volunteers are essential to making the musical happen.
  • Parts are assigned by audition but all interested students can participate. Rehearsals are after school usually starting in December, a couple of days a week.   
  • Students may also participate in stage crew and tech, which typically do not begin until February.
  • Students also participate in Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Jr. Theater Celebration.

Before & After School Program

  • Before school is supervised by a teacher and offered from 7:00a.m. – 8:00a.m. Students go to their classrooms at 8:00a.m. and are with their teacher until school starts at 8:30a.m.
  • After school is supervised by a teacher and offered from 3:00p.m. – 5:30p.m. Student pickup at side door of school and must ring the bell for admittance to the school.
  • First hour dedicated to homework, quiet time, and reading.
  • Homework must be completed before outdoor or indoor play activities allowed.

Cost

  • $6.00 for before school per day.
  • $6.00 for first hour of after school. An additional $3.00 charged thereafter.  Total maximum cost for after school is $9.00 per day.
  • The school bills every two weeks based upon schedule you submitted and any additional last minute uses. There is a strict policy that if you do not pay promptly then your child(ren) are not allowed to attend program in the future.
  • There is a $5.00 non-refundable registration per family.

How to sign up

  • At any time, submit a handwritten note or email the school office at starsoffice@staloysiusregional.com the days you are using the program.
  • Last minute schedule changes require a note or email to the office or calling the school office before 2:30p.m. that day.
  • Snacks are not provided. You are encouraged to send breakfast and snacks for children as appropriate for each program.

Everything Else You Should Know

  • Volunteering At School – You are encouraged to volunteer at STARS. Volunteer opportunities include lunch monitoring, coaching a sport, advising an extracurricular activity and more.  Before you volunteer you are required to undergo VIRTIS (Protecting God’s Children) and code of conduct training.  If you are interested in volunteering please contact the School Office or Mrs. Webster (716.592.7002).  There will also be an announcement in the Fall when training is offered.

 

  • Volunteering through the STARS Family Association – When you enroll your child at STARS you are more than enrolling in a school, you are joining a community. Events are planned through the Family Association to benefit the school and community.  The Family Association Events are planned through three (3) different teams:  Fundraising, Outreach, and Social Teams.  No contribution is too small and all families recognize that everyone has limited time but everyone has specific talents and resources including knowing other people and business connections.  Fundraising is not our focus however, everyone needs to know that fundraising is necessary to keep tuition at its current level.  As such, each family benefits and each family is kindly asked to help in some way.  If you want to know what opportunities immediately exist or want to share your ideas you can attend (in person or via phone) a monthly Family Association meeting.  You can also contact the following people with your ideas or interest:

 

  • Fundraising Team Coordinators – Kathy Powenski – kathypowenski@hotmail.com or Cori Carson – gertndrew@yahoo.com
  • Outreach Team Coordinators – Angela Gardner – amm7665@gmail.com or Maureen Diehl – maureenkessler77@gmail.com
  • Social Team Coordinators – Dawn Clabeaux – dawnrapunzel@aol.com or Audrey Seeley – aabarr2@yahoo.com

 

  • Parent Portal – For grades 3-8, you will receive information early in the year on how to access the Parent Portal.  It is recommended that you gain access right away and become familiar with how to navigate the Parent Portal.  This is how you can monitor your student’s progress during the year between progress reports and report cards.  If you have questions about the information a teacher places on the Parent Portal you should never be afraid to contact the teacher and ask questions.

 

  • All teachers are accessible. You can email a teacher with a question or to set up a meeting at any time.  Communication with your child’s teach is highly encouraged.  Teacher email addresses are on the STARS website or simply contact the School Office.  Please know that some teachers also use Class Dojo and you can use the messaging function to communicate with a teacher.  

 

  • Wednesday Communication – Every Wednesday STARS issues the Wednesday Communication. A hardcopy is sent home with the oldest student enrolled if multiple students attend.  It is also emailed to you and is also available on the STARS app and website.  ENSURE YOU READ IT.  It contains all of the information you need for the week and for upcoming events.   We cannot stress that it has EVERYTHING.  If you forgot or cannot find a permission slip sent home then it will be in the Wednesday Communication.  If you need to know the lunch menu the monthly menu is in every Wednesday Communication. 

 

  • Science Fair – The Science Fair is unique to STARS and is not found in other public schools in this area. K-8 participate in the School Science Fair.  Each grade has a rubric it is judged by and each project is judged by volunteers in the community who are engineers or scientists.  The middle school students compete to be selected to attend the Regional Science Fair hosted by the WNY Science Congress.  Teachers send home information in November/December to get students working on their projects.  The projects are worked on at home on their own time and teachers do provide reminders or progress deadlines for students to meet to set students up for success in the Science Fair.  There is an evening event where all students attend with their family and those selected to move on to compete at the regional level are announced.  Thereafter, all students go to their classrooms where their science project is displayed and they find out what the judge’s result was for their project.  Each student stays with their science project and you can walk around that evening and ask students questions about their project.  It is a fun evening as students work very hard on their projects and are proud to answer questions about them.

 

  • School Dress Code. STARS has a dress code that is sent out to all enrolled families and that dress code is also in the Student Handbook.  Please be aware that the code is not limited to clothing but also applies to hair, jewelry, and piercings.  You should read it given trends on hair color and piercings.  It is enforced for grades K-8.

 

  • Report Cards – Pre-K receive developmental checklist progress reports, K-2 have 1-4 rating while 3-8 have traditional grading system. The Student Handbook contains the full explanation.

 

  • Winter Recess/Free-Time Snow Clothes. Students have recess/free-time daily and generally go outside even during winter.  The exception is extreme weather and cold.  At the beginning of winter, you can have a separate set of clothes in a bag left in the classroom.  Many parents/guardians find it easier to send in an extra set of snow pants or snowsuit, hat, gloves/mittens, and scarf to leave in the classroom as it decreases what students are carrying to and from school daily and student frustration if they cannot go outside because they forgot their snow clothes.

 

  • Sunscreen – Consider sending sunscreen for each student during the warm months of school as there is recess daily. Ensure that you read the Student Handbook on the policy.

 

  • Illness During School and Administration of Medication At School – Please ensure that you read the Student Handbook on the policy.

 

  • Homework – Homework guidelines are found in the Student Handbook and ensure you read it. Homework is sent home as early as Kindergarten to get students in the habit early of time management and management of responsibilities.

 

  • Book Fair and Book Lists – There is a book fair in the Fall and Spring that students and families can attend. Students also shop at the book fair during school hours.  In addition, teachers send home monthly Scholastic book lists.  You have an option to order online and the teacher submits the order for you.  Please know that when you order books your teacher also earns free books for the classroom.  This is a great way to indirectly contribute to a student’s classroom.

 

  • Birthday Party Invites and Bringing In Treats For the Class. There is a policy on this in the Student Handbook that is enforced.  Please make sure you read it to avoid hurt feelings and frustration.  You should always contact the school office with questions.