The Good News Fall-Winter 2023

The Good News from Alums, Friends and Families providing tuition assistance to Community of Saints Regional Catholic School

Download PDF: The Good News Fall-Winter 2023

• Saint Thomas Academy Partners with COS. STA Campus Ministry Class Makes Connections to Share Faith. students from Saint Thomas Academy (STA) helped Community of Saints (COS) kick off the school’s annual Marathon Fundraiser. The Cadets, all seniors in Campus Ministry, donned tee-shirts, brought snacks, and led COS students in a raucous rotation of field games, including World Cup Soccer, Freeze Tag, and Simon Says. It was the first of three visits Campus Ministry students plan for the year.
• Message from Father Steve – I want to recognize three people who have been indispensable to our efforts to provide an education for each and every family and student who comes to us: Doug Lieser, Marilyn Sexton and Tom McKeown. I am so grateful to Doug, Marilyn, and Tom who each brought different strengths to the work of building Catholic education. It is equally important to acknowledge and thank their families. To have known and worked with each of them has been for me an occasion of grace.
• Double Your Gift! All gifts will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000, through December 31, 2023. This matching grant is made possible thanks to the generous support of John Riehle ’57. If you have questions about donating, call Principal Bridget Kramer at 651-457-2510 for more information.
• What’s New This Year: A new Phonics Curriculum for grades K-2, multi-lingual learners, and Title I students. Character Strong, a program that guides students towards becoming positive members of the community. Practicing Mindfulness Through Art, a new after-school program for middle school students mixes art with mindfulness.
• K-8 Enrollment: 206. Preschool Enrollment: 48. COS has maintained steady enrollment with waiting lists for preschool and first grade.
• COS Retains Staff Despite Historic Teacher Shortage. At Community of Saints, every teacher chose to stay for the 2023-24 school year, with the exception of the part-time physical education teacher who left to pursue his dream job as a high school athletic director. At a time when teachers have so many choices, it’s an impressive accomplishment. We wanted to know what keeps teachers at COS — so we went to the source.
• COS a Tier 1 Drexel Mission School (one of six in the Archdiocese). Community of Saints has recently been identified as a Tier 1 Drexel Mission School by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. To qualify, a school must serve a minimum of 60% students of color, have 60% of students who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch, and enroll a minimum of 100 students.
• Annual Report: A&F&F Donations Fulfill the Promise. Tuition Assistance Makes Catholic Education Accessible. 997 Donations Totaling $439,625. Over 90% of students at Community of Saints (COS) receive tuition assistance. Their ability to receive a Catholic education is the direct result of your generosity. Your contributions make it possible for us to fulfill a crucial promise — that no child in our community will be denied access to a high-quality, Catholic education just because their family cannot afford tuition.
• Loyalty Circle Spotlight: Corinne (Heinrich) Brengman. At age 90, Corinne Brengman recently signed up to tutor students at Community of Saints in response to a call for volunteers. “Reading with children is something an old lady can still do,” she laughs.
• Please Join Us: A Mass To Celebrate Your Generosity. Friday, December 8 at 9:00 a.m. at Community of Saints. You are welcome to join us in person for a school Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to honor the generous support of A&F&F donors. Father Steve Adrian will preside. Following Mass, you can tour the school, enjoy refreshments, and meet our middle school students.

See previous editions of The Good News

The Good News Newsletter is a periodic publication that provides updates on the Community of Saints Regional Catholic School.  We currently distribute to over 3000 alums, families and friends. We would like to continually increase our distribution.  So, if you know of any alums, families or friends of St. Matthew’s who are not currently receiving The Good News, please contact us with their mailing information.