Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on May 30, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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Thank You!!!

iPad Project Fund – Total pledges and contributions as of 05/31/12 – $9,505.00 from 27 out of 216 St. Elizabeth families (12.5%), six St. Elizabeth Alumni Families and five Employer with Matching Funds and three Businesses.

A great big thank you goes out to the 2012 8th Grade Graduating Class for their generous gift to the iPad Project. This awesome Eighth Grade Class decided they wanted a large portion of the funds that they raised from their monthly Snack Sales to go towards our goal of 150 iPads for our students! What a wonderful legacy you have left for the future students of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School!

We are so excited to get the ball rolling on our iPad Project: I recently ordered 60 iPads along with the necessary accessories and the $9,500.00+ raised from the Parent Annual Giving Drive will allow us to purchase an additional 20 iPads.

For your convenience, we accept credit cards as a payment option for your iPad Project donations.  Just visit www.saintspride.com and look for the “Donate” button on the front page.  This is a safe and secure method of donating money to St. Elizabeth School. We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, and Discover Card.

Please prayerfully consider what your family can afford and make your pledge today. If would like more information on the Parent Annual Giving Drive, please call Elizabeth Belew @ (214) 331-5139 Ext 24 or email – ebelew@saintspride.com.

 Thank you to the following families who have already made their pledges and contributions. Your generosity is greatly appreciated:

Acosta Family, Alba Family, Anonymous Family, Anonymous Family, Avangard Real Estate Services, Inc., Bank of America/Rosas, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Christian Family, Corley Family, Duffy/Nash Family, Ecozone Pest Control, Goza Family, Henry Family, Ibarra Family, January Family, Kelleher Family, Lauer/Phillips Family, Martin Lucas/Microsoft, Macias Family, Patin Family, Pena Family, Prudential/Spillman, Reyes Family, Richardson Family, Rosas Family, Spillman Family, Stansberry Family, Swayzer Family, Taxco Produce, Teradata Cares/Corley, Tiffany & Company/Macias, Ventura Family, Vergara Family, Walkley Family, West Family, Williams Family, and Yaquinto Family

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on April 12, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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THANK YOU to the Catholic Foundation for their approval of a grant in the amount of $31,208.00 for our iPad Project.  We are extremely excited, as this grant will allow us to purchase 60 iPad 2′s, two Power/Sync Carts, 60 iPad protective cases and 36 wireless hubs!  At this point, we are at 40% of our goal of 150 iPads!  Since 1999, the support of the Catholic Foundation has enabled the school to realize many major projects that would not have been afforded by tuition alone.  We are so grateful for their generosity.

Total pledges and contributions as of 04/10/12 – $7,425.00 from 22 out of 216  St. Elizabeth families (10%), four St. Elizabeth Alumni Families and six Employer with Matching Funds.

Thank you to the four families who recently responded to our recent request for your participation in the iPad Project!  Their generous donations increased our fund by almost $500.00. Those of you who pay your tuition through the Texas Catholic Credit Union may want to consider making your contribution during the month May since your last tuition payment will be in April. The school year is winding down and there is still time to contribute to this very worthy project.  Remember, all money collected goes directly to the school and the students and it is tax deductible.

Your support is very important to St. Elizabeth School.  We would like to reiterate our challenge to every family who has not participated in this year’s drive to consider a donation of at least $70.00.  Think about what we could accomplish if the 191 families at St. E who have not yet participated, gave just $70.00 – the iPad Project would exceed $20,000.00 in total contributions

Please prayerfully consider what your family can afford and make your pledge today. If would like more information on the Parent Annual Giving Drive, please call Elizabeth Belew @ (214) 331-5139 Ext 24 or email – ebelew@saintspride.com

Thank you to the following families who have already made their pledges and contributions. Your generosity is greatly appreciated:

Acosta Family, Alba Family, Anonymous Family, Anonymous Family, Bank of America/Rosas, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Corley Family, Goza Family, Henry Family, Ibarra Family, January Family, Kelleher Family, Martin Lucas/Microsoft, Macias Family, Pena Family, Prudential/Spillman, Reyes Family, Richardson Family, Rosas Family, Spillman Family, Stansberry Family, Swayzer Family, Teradata Cares/Corley, Tiffany & Company/Macias, Ventura Family, Walkley Family, West Family, Yaquinto Family

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on March 8, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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iPad Project Drive Update: After that big jump in donations and pledges in December, things have slowed down considerably!  We have gone from $6,260.00 to $6,935.00 from 18 St. E. families out of 216 (8%), three St. E. Alumni families and four Employers with Matching Funds.  At this time last year, we had nearly $24,000.00 in donations and pledges.

Participation in the iPad Project is at an all-time low…we desperately need your participation and generosity to make this goal of three class sets of iPad 2’s a reality for our students.  This project is vital to the future of St. Elizabeth School in three very important ways – the integration of the iPad into our curriculum will:

• Enhance the way students learn
• Further cement our reputation as a model school for technology
• Attract more students to St. Elizabeth School

As you may have seen in last month’s post, a grant request for $75,000.00 was submitted to The Catholic Foundation for this project.  A  Trustee from The Catholic Foundation recently performed the foundation’s site visit and during his interview with the iPad Project team, he informed us that the foundation has received many applications for capital improvements, building repair and even operating funds.  He cautioned us that we should not expect to receive the amount that we’ve come to expect from the Catholic Foundation in the past. To hopefully add to the iPad Project fund, a grant request to the Hillcrest Foundation in the amount of $25,000.00 was submitted at the end of February and I am working on another request to Dollar General for $4,000.00 which is due at the end of May.

By sending in your pledge, you are sending us a tangible sign that tells us you believe in the mission of this school. Think about what we could accomplish if the 195 families at St. E who have not yet participated, gave just $70.00 – the iPad Project would exceed $20,000.00 in total contributions!

Thank you to the following families who have already made their pledges and contributions. Your generosity is greatly appreciated: Acosta Family, Anonymous Family, Bank of America/Rosas, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Corley Family, Goza Family, Henry Family, January Family, Kelleher Family, Martin Lucas/Microsoft, Macias Family, Prudential/Spillman, Reyes Family, Richardson Family, Rosas Family, Spillman Family, Stansberry Family, Swayzer Family, Tiffany & Company/Macias, Ventura Family, Walkley Family, West Family, Yaquinto Family

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on January 27, 2012, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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We are so excited about the iPad Project!  The Apple iPad is a great tool for learning and for research and students of all ages. The learning possibilities are limitless when an iPad is introduced to a classroom. Kids will learn new ways to express themselves in a multitude of ways.

Here’s a snapshot of the school’s plan for the iPad Project:

•  How the iPad will be used will be determined by their grade level.

The primary students will be using the iPads in centers in every  subject – math, science, music, art, reading – the possibilities are endless.  The students “play games” but are actually learning in the process, reinforcing the days’ lessons.

• Mrs. Guerrero had to make a schedule for the students so that they would not quibble over turns with the iPad.
• Compared to past classes, Mrs. Guerrero has found improvement in the students who may require extra help.

The upper grades will focus more on Project Based Learning, which is an instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. These activities are designed to answer a question or solve a problem and generally reflect the types of learning and work people do in the everyday world outside the classroom. Having the iPad available for these projects in the classroom will free up tech lab time for other students in addition to engaging students in activities that incorporate fun into the learning process.

• Project Based Learning teaches students 21st century skills as well as content. These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leadership skills – all of which are useful, real world applications.

• Project Based Learning also allows students to reflect upon their own ideas and opinions, exercise voice and choice, and make decisions that affect project outcomes and the learning process in general.  In essence, the teacher becomes a facilitator; thereby allowing the students some freedom in the learning process and helping them realize that learning is fun.  They are not simply memorizing facts to recite and not retain.  It is our goal for these students to get hooked on learning, for learning’s sake.

• Laptop vs iPad.  In the world of education, the iPad has so many compelling pro’s over the laptop:

• It so easy to use, even our Primary students need little instruction in its operation.

• Portability – with its many applications it’s not just an iPad; it’s a…
• Globe
• Musical instrument
• Novel
• Flash cards
• Encyclopedia
• Much, much more!

• Efficient use of classroom time – the iPad fires up within seconds.           Classes do not have to wait for everything to load, saving valuable classroom instruction time as everyone will be on the same page almost instantly.

• The tactile nature of the iPad is another distinguishing factor in the iPad vs. laptop debate. For tactile-kinesthetic learners, an iPad can be more engaging than a laptop

• Software vs Apps – One of our largest hurdles with our desktop/laptop computers is having funds to purchase educational software.  To date, with our five iPads, we’ve downloaded 154 free educational apps and paid $4.99 for a Garage Band app.

• Microsoft has just come out with an app that allows the creation of spreadsheets, slide presentations and documents on the iPad!  The students will also always have access to the Tech Labs for any intensive projects that would involve those various programs.

This is just the tip of the iceberg – new apps and new ideas by teacher’s crop up every day.  There are countless resources available to teachers for the many uses of the iPad in the classroom.  Educators across the globe are very enthusiastic about sharing what they have learned with other teachers.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!

iPad Project Drive Update: Donations jumped at the end of December from $2,390 .00 to $6,260.00  from 15 St. E. families out of 216 (7%),  three St. E. Alumni families and three Employer with Matching Funds – THANK YOU!!  If you are new to the school or have not contributed in past drives, please consider becoming a part of this very worthwhile project.  Remember that your gift is 100% tax deductible and all gifts are appreciated – the only gift that is too small is no gift at all!

I am in the process of writing a grant to The Catholic Foundation for this project and we should be notified of the outcome sometime in March or April.  As I mentioned in a previous newsletter post, The Catholic Foundation traditionally funds about 55% or less of our requests, depending on the purpose.  Our grant request will be close to $100,000.00, meaning, if awarded, we will hopefully receive about $55,000.00, so your support is very important for this project to be successful!

Thank you to the following families who have already made their pledges and contributions. Your generosity is greatly appreciated: Anonymous Family, Acosta Family, Bank of America/Rosas, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Goza Family, Henry Family, January Family, Kelleher Family, Macias Family, Prudential/Spillman, Reyes Family, Rosas Family, Spillman Family, Stansberry Family, Swayzer Family, Tiffany & Company/Macias, Ventura Family, Walkley Family

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on November 30, 2011, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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By now, everyone should have received their pledge cards and brochure for this year’s iPad Project.  We are off to a fine start this year – as of November 29^th, we have $2,510.00 in pledges and contributions from 9 families out of 219 (4%). Thank you!!

We’ve received a bid from Apple for $70,000.00 for the purchase of 150 16 GB, Wi Fi iPad 2’s – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!  We will also need to purchase protective covers for the iPads, as well as power/sync/storage carts. Apple’s website shows the basic iPad cover at $39.00 each, and Apple’s power/sync carts that will house 30 tablets are $2,599.95 each! I am actively searching for the best prices for these items and am anxiously awaiting several competitive bids.  I will submit a grant request to the Catholic Foundation at the end of January 2012, but The Catholic Foundation generally grants approximately 55% of most requests – so your support is very important for this project to be successful!

If you have been a donor in the past, we offer you many thanks for your generosity and we are counting on your continued support.  If you are new to the school or have not contributed in past drives, please consider becoming a part of this very worthwhile project.

 Be sure to review the 2012 List of Companies with Matching Gift Programs that was included with your brochure and pledge card. Please look to see if your employer is on the list.  What a great way to DOUBLE your gift to St. Elizabeth! If your employer is listed, simply contact your human resources department to obtain a matching gift form, fill it out completely and send it to the school according to your employer’s guidelines.

We have many families employed by companies on this list, such as:

• Bank of America – Minimum donation $25- will match 1:1 – Gives to Elementary, Secondary and Preschools

• Microsoft – Minimum donation $25- will match 1:1 – Gives to Elementary, Secondary and Preschools

• Neiman Marcus – Minimum donation $25- will match 2:1 – Gives to Elementary and Secondary Schools

•  Pepsico – Minimum donation $25- will match 1:1 – Gives to Elementary, Secondary and Preschools – If combined with 50 volunteer hours, they will match 2:1

• Verizon – Minimum donation $25- will match 1:1 – Gives to Elementary and Secondary Schools.  Verizon will contribute up to $750 for 50 volunteer hours in 1 year.

Looking for a little help on your 2011 taxes?   Keep in mind that every dollar you donate to the drive is 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE!  We need to receive your donation before the end of the year for you to receive a Charitable Gift Acknowledgement letter for your 2011 taxes.  Also, those of you needing additional tax deductions may want to consider a charitable donation of stock to St. Elizabeth School.  If you transfer stock before December 31, you can claim the tax deduction on your tax return – of course, you should always check with your own tax advisor before making a gift of stock or securities.  Please contact Elizabeth Belew at (214) 331-5139 Ext 24 or ebelew@saintspride.com if you are interested in making a gift of stock to the school.

Thank you to the following families who have already made their donations or pledges, your generosity is greatly appreciated: Acosta Family, Barrilleaux Family, Belew Family, Borth Family, Henry Family, Reyes Family, Swayzer Family Ventura Family and Walkley Family.

Have you visited St. Elizabeth’s Facebook page lately?  Stop by to check out the contest of the week and you may possibly win a $20.00 gift card for your efforts!  St. E parents, Steve Thompson, Angie Gutierrez and Lori Hernandez all won $20.00 gift cards in November,  just for posting photos of their “Saint”!  This week’s competition asks you to tell us what you like most about St. E by posting to our wall.  We’ll award a $20 gift card to the best responses.  Winners will be announced on Friday! This challenge is open to everyone so be creative!

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Mrs. Belew – School Development

Posted on April 18, 2011, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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BJ, Esmeralda, and Armando Medina

Many thanks to the entire Medina Family for their donation to the PK Playground Fund and especially for their inspiring creativity.  They have found inventive ways to contribute to this project and make their donation grow by leaps and bounds!

Over spring break, Mrs. Medina took two of her three children, BJ and Armando to a recycling center to sell three bags of soda cans that the boys had collected.  The boys were given a total of $12.80 for their cans, and Armando told his mother that he thought they should donate this money to the Playground Fund.  When they got home and told their sister of their plan, Esmeralda, a former St. E student, said she would donate the difference to bring their contribution up to $25.00.  Their parents, John and Christina then told the kids they would match that donation, bringing the total $50.00.  Christina’s employer, Neiman Marcus, is on the list of 2011 HEP List of Companies with Matching Gift Programs and Neiman Marcus matches employees’ donations two to one, so that $50.00 has now turned into a $150.00 donation to the Playground Fund!

What valuable lessons these wonderful parents taught their kids over spring break. They taught their children the importance of recycling in preserving the environment and that they can make a difference in the world.  They also helped them to understand the joy of charitable giving and to be wise and effective givers by assisting them in making their initial donation of $12.80 multiply by almost 12 times!  Thank you Medina Family for your generous support of this very worthwhile project

PK Playground Fund – Total pledges and contributions as of 04/15/11 – $25,085.00 from 22 out of 226 St. Elizabeth families (10%), six St. Elizabeth Alumni Families and three Employer with Matching Funds.

Thank you to the nine families who recently responded to our recent request for your participation in the PK Playground Fund project!  Their generous donations increased our fund by almost $1,200.00.  We still need your participation and generosity to make this goal of a new playground for our “Littlest Saints” a reality!

Think about what we could accomplish if the families at St. E who have not yet participated, gave just $70.00 to this year’s drive – we would have nearly $15,000.00 more to add to this project.

By sending in your pledge, regardless the amount, you are sending us a tangible sign that tells us you believe in the mission of this school. It might be $250.00, $25.00 or even $2.50 – every gift is greatly appreciated. But what is so vitally important and so necessary is to have the full participation of our parents, no matter what the financial level.

For your convenience, we accept PayPal as a payment option for your PK Playground Fund Project donations.  Just visit www.saintspride.com and look for the “Donate” button on the front page.  This is a safe and secure method of donating money to St. Elizabeth School. Through PayPal, we accept Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover Card.

Please help us to provide our PK3 & PK4 students with an age appropriate playground that challenges their student’s growing bodies and excites their imaginations and prayerfully consider becoming a part of this very important project.

Thank you to the following families who have already made their donations or pledges – It looks like PK4 and Alumni Families are leading the charge in donations:

PK3: Celedon Family, Juarez-Ayala Family, Porter Family

PK4: Aillon Family, Burns Family, Kubin Family, O’Sullivan Family, Stansberry Family

KA : Medina Family,    Porter Family*, Thompson Family

1^st Grade: Goza Family, Stansberry Family*

2^nd Grade: Burns Family*

3^rd Grade: Medina Family*

4^th Grade: Mills Family, Richardson Family

5^th Grade: Gomez Family, Juarez-Ayala Family*, Vergara Family

6^th Grade: Barrilleaux Family, Rodriguez Family

7^th Grade: Breeding Family, Allen Family, Swayzer Family, Walkley Family

8^th Grade: Barrilleaux Family*, Javier Family, Mills Family*

Alumni Families: Anonymous Family, Belew Family, Lucas Family, Luke Family, Yaquinto Family, Clem Family

*sibling

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No Fuss Fundraisers

Posted on April 18, 2011, by Elizabeth Belew, under No Fuss Fundraisers.

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MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS
Shop 24/7/365 at QSP.com, – Order new magazines or renew your current subscriptions and St. Elizabeth will receive 40% of the subscription price! St. Elizabeth account number is 425062199 – Customer service 1-800-678-2673.

TARGET for Education
1% of all your TARGET VISA purchases come back to the school. Apply for a Target VISA card listing St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Hampton Rd., Dallas, as your beneficiary or call 1-800-316-6142 to designate St. Elizabeth as your beneficiary on an existing card.

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School Development

Posted on September 29, 2010, by Elizabeth Belew, under School Development.

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We are very excited about kicking off this year’s Parent Annual Giving Drive, which is a yearly appeal made to all the families and friends of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School.  The income received from this Drive assists in financing the yearly operating budget of St. Elizabeth School and also helps us tackle bigger projects not afforded by operating funds. St. Elizabeth School strives to keep tuition at an affordable level while continuing its mission of providing a quality Catholic education for every student. Contributions to the Parent Annual Giving Drive help bridge the gap between tuition and the actual expense of a St. Elizabeth School education.  This gap is currently $1,100.00   In other words, tuition alone covers approximately 78% of the cost of educating a St. Elizabeth student – the remaining 22% must be made up by donations to the Parent Annual Giving Drive and other contributions.   While we seek financial assistance from foundations and other institutions through the grant writing process, we still need the support of our St. Elizabeth of Hungary Community to take care of the expenses not covered by the tuition you pay.

Our goal for this year’s Drive is to replace the aged Pre-K playground and  replace the fence which surrounds the area.

Many thanks to the Catholic Foundation for their generous grant in the amount of $75,000.00 to be used for our roof project! This grant, in addition to the funds our school has raised in the last couple of years and with a generous donation of materials from Supreme Roofing’s vendors, our entire roof has been redone!  The entire process has been relatively painless with very little disruption in the classrooms. Thank you to all of our families who contributed so generously, both in treasure and time, to make this blessing possible for us!

The Target Foundation has kindly awarded a $2,000.00 grant to the school to be used for this year’s Dancing Classrooms program.  We ask that you help us show our appreciation Target for their generosity by supporting them with your patronage. Additionally, we received grants from the St. Elizabeth Educational Endowment Board and Ed Haggar Family foundation which provided tuition assistance for deserving students, bringing our total grants received to $88,000.00!!  Thank you!!

We are grateful for the immeasurable support of the parents and other family members to our school and look forward to another great year!

Help make great things happen for St. Elizabeth School!!

St. E has joined the My Coke Rewards for Schools program.  That means by drinking the Coca-Cola products your family already enjoys, you can get My Coke Rewards points and donate them to our School.

Your donations will go towards rewards like physical education equipment, art supplies and educational resources that help our students learn, play and have fun.

It’s easy to donate:

1. Purchase your favorite Coca-Cola products and get codes (they’re on hundreds of different packages, including  DASANI, Sprite, Minute Maid, POWERADE ION4, and more.)
2. Go to mycokerewards.com (register if you aren’t a member).
3. Enter codes to collect points – choose “Donate to Your School” from the six ways to spend points.
4. Find our school by Zip Code (75224).  When St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School comes up, click enter the amount of points you’d like to give, then click “Donate.”

Check out mycokerewards.com/schools for more information and start turning My Coke Rewards points into rewards for St. E.

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• Welcome Saints

  

  Welcome to the parents' online newsletter for St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School. Published monthly from September to June, this is the place to read all the updates from our teachers, school administrators, and organizations.

• Mission Statement

  Our mission at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic School is to serve God through our ministry of educational excellence and to develop the spiritual lives of our youth within the framework of the Gospel and the tradition of the Catholic Church.

• Philosophy

  Our fundamental task is the education of the whole child, combining learning with faith, Catholic doctrines and moral teachings. We strive to instill in our students a lifelong commitment to learning, to Christian values and citizenship, and like our patroness, to community service. We are dedicated to achieving these goals within a supportive and diverse Christian community and to living our faith daily with the understanding that education is a process that never ends.