Updated Tuesday, August 14, 2024
Welcome!
St. Catherine School is happy to have your student and your family join us for what we hope will be an inspiring and exciting school experience!
This page was created to give you the information needed to prepare for the start of school.
If you have any unanswered questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer Laws.
Information
Orientation Overview
In May, we hosted a new family orientation at school. If you were unable to attend or joined St. Catherine School after the event, a PDF of the presentation can be found here. For families that attended the event, please replace the copy you were given with this version — we have made a few amends. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Laws.
Parent Handbook
We’re currently updating our Parent Handbook for the 2024/25 School Year. We will send this to all families once it is completed in August. There will be a signature page for families to sign, indicating that they have read the Handbook. This will be due by Sat, 8/31.
School Communications
ParentSquare is our school communication platform. All general announcements and grade specific communications will be sent through ParentSquare. We also use ParentSquare to publish our school calendar, request sign ups for items and time, and to report volunteer hours.
School Calendar
Students are scheduled for 180 school days; these are important learning days. Please make every effort to schedule family trips during vacation time only.
Our 2024/25 Important Dates overview can be found here.
THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. Below please find a summary of the activities planned for the first week of school. At this time, we do not anticipate any changes to the schedule below.
Mon, 8/19
Parent Volunteer Fingerprinting Session, 3-5pm
TK and Kinder Kick Off, 5pm to 6pm - SAVE THE DATE COMING SOON!
Weds, 8/21 – First Day of School
Extended Care, available from 7am
Parents, join us for our first Morning Assembly of the school year, from 7.40am, followed by a Back to School Coffee Morning from 8am in the Covered Lunch Area
Grades 1-8 - 12.30pm early dismissal
TK & Kinder - 10.30am early dismissal
Thurs, 8/22
Grades 1-8 - 12.30pm early dismissal
TK & Kinder - 10.30am early dismissal
Fri, 8/23
Grades 1-8 - 12.30pm early dismissal
TK & Kinder - 10.30am early dismissal
Week of Mon, 8/26
Grades 1-8 - Normal 3pm / 3.10pm dismissal
TK - 12.30pm early dismissal until Fri, 8/30. TK will begin normal 2pm dismissal on Tues, 9/3
Kinder - 12.30pm early dismissal on Mon, 8/26, Tues, 8/27 and Weds, 8/28. Kinder will begin normal 2pm dismissal on Thurs, 8/29
This year, our Back to School Mass and Welcome Back BBQ on campus will be held after Labor Day, on Sun, 9/8. More info will be shared once ParentSquare is launched for the 2024/25 school year.
Daily School Schedule
These are the standard timings for the pick up / drop off schedule. The Tardy Bell rings at 7:55am. Any changes to the schedule above will be communicated to families via ParentSquare. Please note that TK students must be brought to the TK classroom and signed in/out by their parent or guardian every day.
School Lunches
We offer a school lunch program in partnership with ChoiceLunch. They offer a pay-as-you-go model, as well as packages that offer discounts. Alternatively, parents pack lunch for their student(s). We are a nut-free school. All students should also have a water bottle at school containing water only, labeled with their name and grade.
Extended Care
Extended Care is available to all families who are interested in this service from 7am on Weds, 8/21. Care options include an hourly rate or monthly rate. Information on the program is being reviewed and will be available from Fri, 8/16.
Preparing for Volunteer Hours
There are four items required of school volunteers. See below for more detailed information.
1) FINGERPRINTING. In order to volunteer at school, the Diocese of San Jose requires parents to undergo a fingerprint check. This only needs to be done once during your time with us. To start the process you’ll need to complete this form: Request for Live Scan Service
We offer two ways to submit the form and get fingerprinted:
St. Catherine School hosts a few fingerprinting service events at the start of the school year. The first one scheduled is Mon, 8/19 from 3pm to 5pm. Parents will need to bring a completed Live Scan form, $20 cash or check, and a photo ID for each adult to the fingerprinting session. There will be additional fingerprinting dates announced closer to the start of school.
Alternatively, adults can complete the form and take it to their nearest Live Scan location. Just scroll down and plug in your zip code to find a location near you. Please note the cost may differ from the $20 fee offered at school fingerprinting events. Find Santa Clara County Live Scan locations here.
For both options, the school will be notified of the results via the Diocese of San Jose.
2) VIRTUS SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING. All volunteers are required to complete the VIRTUS Online course, "Protecting God's Children Maltreatment Awareness Session 3.2_San Jose." This course needs to be re-taken every 3 years.
If you're taking the training for the first time, set up your account on VIRTUS here.
Go to TOOLBOX > SEE AVAILABLE TRAINING MODULES and select "Protecting God's Children Maltreatment Awareness Session 3.2_San Jose" from the list.
If you've taken the training before, log on to VIRTUS here.
Go to TRAINING > TRAINING COMPLIANCE and click on TRAINING REPORT.
You'll see a list of the courses you've completed.
In the last column, you'll see the last completion date for "Protecting God's Children."
If it's been more than 3 years, please retake the course.
Once you have completed the online training, save your training certificate as a PDF and email it to Tracy Delgado in the Front Office.
NOTE: if you are coming from a school within the Diocese of San Jose, we’ll contact the school and arrange for your fingerprint verification and Safe Environment Training to be transferred to St. Catherine School. If there are any issues, we’ll contact you.
3) VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY WAIVER FORM. This is completed once and kept on file. You can download the form here: VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY WAIVER FORM
4) TB RISK ASSESSMENT. This questionnaire and Certificate of Completion for TB Risk Assessment is required for all volunteers. It needs to be reviewed and signed by your physician, and is completed every 4 years. A link to the form is available in TADS Admissions & Enrollment, in the Documents section. You can also download it here.
Action Items
Summer Packets
Student summer packet links can be found below. The activities are optional (with the exception of the 6th grade packet), and many activities are things your child may be doing already! Should have you have any questions regarding the work required, please let us know by emailing Jennifer Laws.
Incoming Transitional Kindergarten • Incoming Kindergarten • Incoming First Grade • Incoming Second Grade • Incoming Third Grade • Incoming Fourth Grade • Incoming Fifth Grade • Incoming 6th Grade
Required Documents to be Submitted on TADS
When enrolling your student on the TADS platform, a number of documents were requested. Parents were asked to please complete document uploads no later than August 9, 2024. If you’ve not done so yet, please take a moment to review your child’s account and make sure all documents have been uploaded. If you’ve already submitted them, thank you!
Student Photo
Birth Certificate
Immunization Records
TB Risk Assessment Form, completed by a physician. Download the form here.
Baptism Certificate (if applicable)
First Holy Communion Certificate (if applicable)
Most Recent Report Card
Most Recent Standardized Testing
IMPORTANT - Forms to Be Completed
Please see below a list of forms that need to be completed and returned to us no later than August 1, 2024. They can be emailed to admissions@stcatherinemh.org or dropped off in person at school. We are open from 8am to 1.30pm for the month of July. If you’ve already submitted these forms to us, thank you! If you have done completed the request, please do so ASAP!
Request for School Records Form. This form is for Grades K through 8 only. The Front Office will submit this form to your student’s prior school to obtain their school records.
Parish Affiliation Form. If you practice at another Catholic church in the Diocese, or have relocated to Morgan Hill from another area, please complete this form.
School Supplies
The following links contain the school supplies requested by your student’s teacher. These can be purchased at the retailer of your choice, unless noted otherwise.
Transitional Kindergarten • Kindergarten • First Grade • Second Grade • Third Grade • Fourth Grade • Fifth Grade • Junior High (6th, 7th, 8th Grades)
Uniforms
All St. Catherine-branded uniform items (clothes with our logo or plaid) are purchased through MerryMart.
St. Catherine uniform requirements can be found here.
You may purchase non-branded, generic uniform items such as polo shirts, basic blue pants and shorts at other retailers, such as Target or Old Navy.
We also have a Uniform Exchange at school, which offers a selection of freshly laundered, gently used uniforms arranged by type and size at no cost. It is located in the lobby, and families are welcome to drop in during school hours and see if there are any items they would like to have. We are open between 8am and 1.30pm in July and 7.30am and 4pm in August. Items and sizes are limited to first come, first served. Our only request is that when your student outgrows them, that you return them to the uniform exchange for the next student who may benefit from them.
UNIFORM SCHEDULE. The weekly uniform schedule below indicates the days for Standard Uniforms and PE Uniforms. Students wear their PE Uniform to school on the days that they have PE, unless there is a school Mass or their class is participating in a prayer service or liturgy. This will be communicated to families by the teacher and in the general school announcement related to the event.
Class Spirit Shirts
Class Spirit Shirts are a required purchase and can be ordered directly from the school. They are used for field trips and Spirit Days. A link will be shared in August for families to place their orders.
TK, Kinder and First Grade Tote Bags
Students in TK, Kinder and First Grade are required to use our St. Catherine Tote Bag. Backpacks are not permitted in these grades. TK and Kinder students will be given their Tote Bags at the TK and Kinder Kick-off on Mon, 8/19. Mrs. Laws will be in touch with new 1st Grade parents to arrange for them to pick up their totes before the start of school.
Helpful Links
TADS, our Admissions & Enrollment, Tuition Management and Financial Aid Assessment platform.
tads.com
Educate, our student information system. Families will receive student report cards through this platform.
educate.tads.com
ParentSquare is our school-to-home communication platform. We will be sending out instructions for how to register for ParentSquare when it is ready for the new school year.
ParentSquare.com
ChoiceLunch, our school lunch program partner.
ChoiceLunch.com
Contact Information
School Website
stcatherinemh.org
School Phone Number
408-779-9950
School Hours
7.30am to 4pm
School Email
office@stcatherinemh.org
Melissa Sidebotham, Principal
msidebotham@stcatherinemh.org
Jennifer Lamontagne, Assistant Principal
jlamontagne@stcatherinemh.org
Jennifer Laws, Director of Marketing and Enrollment
jlaws@stcatherinemh.org
Tracy Delgado, Office Manager
tdelgado@stcatherinemh.org
Lisa Caratozzolo, Assistant Office Manager
lcaratozzolo@stcatherinemh.org
Anne Nguyen, Finance Office
anguyen@stcatherinemh.org