Parent Weekly Update 11/13/26

St. Rose of Lima Elementary School, rooted in Catholic values, strives to achieve educational excellence by facilitating the intellectual, spiritual, and physical growth of each child and promoting a community of faith, hope, love and service.

Parent Weekly Update

November 14, 2026 through November 23, 2026

Important Dates at a Glance

Friday, November 13, 2026 - Trimester 1 ends grades K-6

Sunday, November 15, 2026 - Designer Purse Bingo at 1:00 PM

Monday, November 16, 2026 - Discover Catholic Schools Week

Monday, November 16, 2026 - Open House at St Rose of Lima School 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM RSVP

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 - Virtus Training begins - see details below 

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 - Tot Tuesday at St Rose of Lima PreK 3

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 - Sixth grade shadow day at York Catholic

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 - Band lessons and practice

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 - St Rose Friends Shadow Day - see details below

Thursday, November 19, 2026 - Day of Service at school

Thursday, November 19, 2026 - Charlie Brown Dress Down Day - see details below

Thursday, November 19, 2026- Panera Bread Fundraiser 4:00PM-8:00PM

Friday November 20, 2026 - School Mass at 8:30 AM Virtue Awards presented all are welcome

Friday, November 20, 2026 - Report cards sent home with students in grades K-6

Wednesday, November 25, 2026 - School is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday break

Tuesday, December 1, 2026 - School reopens after the holiday

Discover Catholic Schools Week

We are excited to be hosting multiple events this year for our Discover Catholic Schools Week! On Monday 11/16 from 9-11 am we are hosting an open house for prospective families. Please invite any friends who may be interested in joining our St. Rose of Lima family.

On Tuesday 11/17 from 9-10 am we are hosting a Tot Tuesday event for our youngest prospective students. PreK aged children and their parents are welcome to join us for a story, craft and playtime. 

On Wednesday 11/18 students are encouraged to bring a friend to shadow. These should be students who are truly considering joining our school community! Try out being a St. Rose Hawk for a day.

On Thursday 11/19 students will be doing community service through packing potatoes and landscaping maintenance.

On Friday 11/20 we will close out our week with mass and virtue awards.

Sixth Grade York Catholic Shadow Day

The admissions team from York Catholic visited with our sixth grade students early in October to discuss the enrollment process at York Catholic.  On Tuesday, November 17, our sixth grade students will spend the day at York Catholic for a shadow day.  Parents should have received information from Mrs Christine Lee regarding the Shadow Day.

VIRTUS Training/Safe Environment Training

St Rose of Lima Elementary School is now in year five of our VIRTUS Training/Safe Environment program. The Diocesan Safe Environment program offers age-appropriate personal safety instruction to students in Catholic schools and parish religious education programs for students in grades K - 6. The Diocese of Harrisburg uses the VIRTUS Empowering God’s Children® annual training for all children enrolled in our Catholic Schools and religious education classes. Today, parents are being given information about this program, including an”opt-out” that must be signed and returned to the school by Monday, November 16, 2026 only if you choose NOT to have your child participate in this program.  If you do not sign and return the form, your child will receive the training.  The training will begin Tuesday November 17, 2026.    If you have questions about this program, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Johnston at 717-792-0889.

Upcoming Online Auction

Our 3-day online auction kicks off on 11/22 at 12 p.m. , and we’ve got a ton of awesome experiences up for grabs. Here is just a sneak peek at a few of the fun items on the list:

• 🎟️ VIP Front-Row Seats at the Christmas Concert
• 🚒 A Ride to School on a Fire Truck
• 👑 Principal for the Day
• 🎨 Special Hangouts & Events with Teachers

There’s plenty more where that came from, so be sure to check out the full catalog! The auction runs for just 72 hours, so keep an eye on the clock once bidding opens.

Panera Bread Fundraiser

Take a night off from cooking and support our HSA! Join us at Panera Bread on Thursday, November 19, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. 25% of all sales will go directly to support our organization. To ensure your order counts, show the flyer to the cashier at checkout, or enter promo code FUND4U when ordering online or through the Panera app. Thank you for your support! 

Coffee and Conversations

Are you interested in learning more about how the EITC program works? Join us on Sunday, 11/22 after the 7:30 AM mass and 10 AM mass for coffee, pastries, and a chance to chat with representatives from RedefinED and BLOCS about how to enroll in EITC and how this benefits our school. We would love to have you join us!

Family Time for Adoration

We have a new monthly afterschool program beginning in November. Students and families are invited to join us for a family Holy Hour. Father Celestine will be leading us in a beautiful devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Since this is a new practice for our school community, we will begin with a shorter time period and gradually extend our time in adoration. Our first Family Time for Adoration will be on Monday, November 16, 2026 from 3:30-4:00.  We hope you will join us to begin our week focused on the Lord.

Winter uniform 

On November 2, 2026, our school community began wearing winter uniforms.  This means students are expected to have their complete winter uniform, including the vest or cardigan sweater.  If a boy in grades K-3 chooses to wear the white button-down oxford, he must wear the tie with it.  Otherwise, boys in grades K-3 wear the polo shirt (long or short sleeve).  All students may wear either the solid black sneakers (no high tops) or they may wear the black oxford shoes.  Gym uniforms are to be the blue St Rose of Lima PE shirt (not the heroes shirt, the dance club shirt, the we’re going blue shirt, or the gray shirt), the black sweatpants, and the royal blue sweatshirt.  On Dress Down Days, during the time of winter uniforms, no shorts may be worn.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  I thank you for your cooperation.

Trimester 1 Ends

Trimester 1 ends on Friday, November 13, 2026.  Students have been encouraged to make sure all missing work is completed and turned in to their teachers.  Report cards will be sent home with students on Friday, November 20, 2026.    We ask all parents to please review the report card with their child/children, sign the report card envelope, and return it to the school office promptly.  This is for grades K-6.  Students in PreK classes will be evaluated in January and May only, with parent conferences in January, 2027. Thank you!

Help Make the St. Rose Gala a Magical Night! 

We’re looking for volunteers to help plan and organize the March 6, 2027 St. Rose of Lima Gala, Enchanted Forest After Dark! From decorations and fundraising to sponsorships and event planning, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Whether you have a little time or a lot, we’d love your help making this special evening a success for our school community. Interested in joining the planning committee? We’d love to hear from you!

Show Your St. Rose of Lima Pride!

St. Rose of Lima car magnets are back! Show your school spirit wherever you go by displaying a St. Rose car magnet on your vehicle. It’s a fun and easy way to show your support for our school and community! Interested in getting one? Contact the school office to let us know you’d like a car magnet. Let’s show our St. Rose of Lima pride on the road

Thanksgiving Break

School will be closed beginning Wednesday, November 25, 2026 for the Thanksgiving Holiday Break.  School will reopen for all students on Tuesday, December 1, 2026.  We wish you all a very wonderful holiday break!

Dressing Warmly

As the weather begins to change, please make sure your child has the appropriate outerwear for recess.  Students should bring jackets with them to school.  Additionally, remember that sweatshirts may only be worn with the gym uniform.  Students must wear the royal blue St. Rose sweater with their daily winter/spring school uniform. 

Christmas Concert Date Change

Please mark your calendars with the correct date for our Christmas concert.  The date is now Thursday, December 17, 2026.  We will have a rehearsal at 1:00 PM and final performance at 6:00 PM.  Students in grades K-4 will sing and the band members in grades 5-6 will perform.  We hope to see you there! 

Our PreK students will have their own concert on Wednesday, December 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM.  The concert will be in the gymnasium followed by a Christmas party in the classroom.  More information will be coming from the PreK teachers in their updates.

Text Alerts

Parents, please make sure you are signed up for our school text alerts.  With the weather changing, you will need to receive these notifications in order to know about school closings and more.  If you have not yet signed up to receive notifications, please text the word “yes” to 79041. You will receive a notification confirming you are registered.  If you have questions, please call the school office at 717-792-0889.

Volunteers needed

Mrs. Bolli is looking for volunteers to help with cutting and material management in the afternoons! If you are available to help, please contact the front office. Thank you!

Charlie Brown Dress Down Day

On Thursday, November 19, 2026, the Student Council will sponsor a dress down day for all students.  The cost is $1.00 per student and the funds will go to support our Annual Fund.  Students may dress as their favorite Charlie Brown character.  Because the Peanuts characters wear shorts, shorts will be permitted that day.  We hope to see your Charlie Brown spirit!