Guardian Angels exists to reach out from the Altar of Christ to educate, serve and evangelize.

Friday, April 3rd

Greetings GA families,

This week our students and staff started Distance Learning. We were blessed with two weeks to prepare for this new style of learning and teaching. Additional blessings has been all of the coaching and training our teaching staff has done these past two years. God is good! He’s always preparing us for things to come. We just don’t always realize it.

We all are trying to wrap our heads around this time of uncertainty. What we Catholic educators would like to remind everyone is what God wants us to do. Keep our lives simple, be present and in the moment, pray often and share God’s love and peace to all who He puts in our pathway each day. God has a plan for each and everyone of us. Trust in God in all things and He will provide us with what we need.

Keeping a daily routine is important for everyone right now. Get up, pray, shower get dressed, eat, exercise, read, do jobs around the house and work if you need to. Be sure to connect with family and friends often. Limit yourself with the flood of information coming at us about everything going on. Continue to spread God’s love and grace. And pray all throughout your day. (Say a “Hail Mary” while you wash your hands.)

 

Saludos familias de GA, 

Esta semana nuestros estudiantes y personal comenzaron el aprendizaje a distancia. Fuimos bendecidos con dos semanas para prepararnos para este nuevo estilo de aprendizaje y enseñanza. Bendiciones adicionales han sido todo el entrenamiento que nuestro personal docente ha realizado en los últimos dos años. ¡Dios es bueno! Él siempre nos está preparando para lo que vendrá. Simplemente no siempre nos damos cuenta.

Todos estamos tratando de entenderlo en este momento de incertidumbre. Lo que los educadores católicos quisiéramos recordarles a todos es lo que Dios quiere que hagamos. Mantener nuestras vidas simples, que esté presente  en el momento, orar con frecuencia y compartir el amor y la paz de Dios con todos los que Él pone en nuestro camino diario. Dios tiene un plan para cada uno de nosotros. Confíe en Dios en todas las cosas y Él nos proporcionará lo que necesitamos.

An important message from Aim Higher

Tuition payments:

Aim Higher is offering Reserve Funds for any non-Aim Higher scholar who has a parent that was furloughed or laid off due to COVID 19 and are struggling to make tuition payments for the remainder of this school year. Mrs. Lovegreen can apply for a $1000 scholarship to help with tuition payments if needed. These funds are available on a first come first serve basis until the funds run out. Please contact her directly if you need help making tuition payments because you have been furloughed or laid off due to COVID 19. (slovegreen@gachaska.org

We'd like to hear some feedback from you about our first week of Distance Learning. Please click on either link below to share your feedback anonymously.
We appreciate you taking the time to let us know how we are doing and help identify what additional things we need to work on. 

Nos gustaría escuchar sus comentarios acerca de nuestra primera semana de aprendizaje a distancia. Haga clic en cualquiera de los enlaces a continuación para compartir sus comentarios de forma anónima. Apreciamos que se haya tomado el tiempo para informarnos cómo lo estamos haciendo y ayudarnos a identificar en qué puntos adicionales tenemos que trabajar.
Take Distance Learning Survey HERE (English)
Take Distance Learning Survey Here (Spanish)
Free Lunches for those in need
District 112 will provide meals for all children who need them, no matter their resources and no matter what school they attend.

We have free lunches for students in the community that can be picked up at Riverview Terrace or at Clover Ridge Elementary March 30th-May 4th from 11:30-12:30.   If students need lunches but are unable to get to a pick up site, they can call nutrition services at 952-556-6150 to request meal delivery.  

Food pick up on Monday (for Monday and Tuesday meals) and Wednesday (for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) only now.

We had two birthdays this week both in PreSchool.  March 31st, Ramon (not pictured) and Gianna on April 1st.  Happy Birthday!

Each week we’d like to share with you what Distance Learning may look like from our students’ point of view. This week we would like to feature what Distance Learning is like for a preschooler. Thank you Mrs. Hennen for planning several learning activities this week We are so happy that you have been sharing photos with us of your at home learning. We have gotten some great shots.  Please keep sending them to Mrs. Scott pscott@gachaska.org. Enjoy!

Parent Zoom Meetings
Topic: Parent Week #1 Zoom Meeting to review first week of Distance Learning
Join either Zoom Meeting by clicking the link below. The same topic will be covered during both meetings.
 
Saturday, April 4, 2020 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
https://zoom.us/j/145118832?pwd=WlppanczS01xR0dndmFWeFVhRStLZz09
Meeting ID: 145 118 832
Password: 488113
 
Sunday, April 5, 2020 08:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
https://zoom.us/j/749864605?pwd=dDJ6cW12N3hPVWw3RGY5ZGZnb2pCUT09
Meeting ID: 749 864 605
Password: 259224
Spread God’s love and joy:
Take time to write notes of thanks, encouragement, or news to your loved ones or someone you know could use a lift.
 

Activities for at home:

Virtual Holy Week Retreat:
  We may be physically separated, but this virtual retreat is a chance for all of us to come together during this high point of our liturgical year. The Virtual Holy Week Retreat begins with Palm Sunday Mass from the Saint Paul Seminary. Morning events begin at 9 a.m. and evening events and Triduum liturgies begin at 7 p.m. (except the Easter Vigil at 8:30 p.m.).  All events will be live streamed through Facebook, as well as recorded to watch at your convenience. Please find all the details, including the schedule, topics, and speakers including Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens at www.archspm.org/holyweek.
 

 

Here you go!! Here is the download you’ve been waiting for…..

HOLY WEEK AT HOME SUCCESS KIT

Please download your kit…

Check out its easy to use format….

And start using it on Sunday, April 5th, 2020.

Join us on Social Media using the hashtag #holyweekathome and tagging @catholicfamilycrate!

Also, if you have any questions or feedback, WE ARE HERE!! 

Enjoy your Holy Week at home ☺
The Catholic Family Crate Team

P.S. We are meditating on one Station of the Cross each day for 14 days leading up to Easter on Instagram and Facebook if you’d like to join us there.

HOLY WEEK AT HOME SUCCESS KIT
Where in Guardian Angels School is our Guardian Angel? 
Each week we’ll post a photo of our little Guardian Angels. The first five families to respond and tell Mrs. Lovegreen where our Guardian Angel is located in our school will get a surprise in the mail. 

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

parks and rec

Trailblazer

Spring Banner

April 2020

Looking for a Sign

Looking for signs of spring? Listen for bird song, look for moss, and feel the warmth.

Our daily routines have been disrupted. Activities are canceled, including school. You know what's not been canceled? Spring! 

Learning is not canceled! There's a plethora of options to keep our kids entertained while at home. How about outdoor and nature-related learning? The Young Naturalist section of our favorite magazine offers stories and teacher guides (talking to you, Homeschooling parents.) Make firestarters for your next campfire or observe seasonal changes and start a phenology journal.

The great outdoors is not canceled! While we are altering some of our operations at Minnesota State Parks and Trails, you can step outside your home to get your dose of nature. Remember, recreate locally to help stop the spread of the virus.

  Child with net

However you choose to enjoy the outdoors during this time, stay healthy and safe... and six feet away from others!



Safety Header

COVID-19

Safety is part of our culture at the Minnesota DNR. It is a top priority, now and always.

We have a dedicated web page to keep you up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 operation changes at Minnesota state parks, trails, and forests: mndnr.gov/COVID-19

Do your part and check for updates on a regular basis when planning your time outdoors.



Tips graphic

Not Canceled: Campfires, Bird Song, Fresh Air

Instructions for making firestarters

Backyard Birding 101

With the sky quieter than usual due to reduced air traffic, conditions are favorable to listen for spring bird song—even in the city.

Interactive bird song poster

Order a poster of the original illustration "Can you name the birds?" at the Minnesota Bookstore

New to Birding?

Learn about the code of birding ethics.

Birding by Ear 

Listen to bird song and use the CornellLab page to help you identify the bird. Can you imitate some of the chirps and calls?

Timing Is Everything

Poke your head out in the morning and evening when birds actively search for food to refuel for their night journey.

Full moon

CREDIT: John J. Werner

(Full) Moon Birding

Each spring birds migrate from winter grounds to summer breeding habitats. Most species fly at night, several thousand feet in the sky, making it hard to spot them with the naked eye. Take advantage of the full moon on Apr. 7 to practice moon birding: Watch for silhouettes of migrating birds against the glowing white moon.   

Tools of the Trade 

Use a binocular, spotting scope or telescope to help you see high flying birds. 

For the first time since 2017 the EagleCam has a family of eaglets. All three eggs have now hatched.  Watch the new brood at mndnr.gov/EagleCam

For the first time since 2017 the EagleCam has a family of eaglets. All three eggs have now hatched. Watch the new brood at mndnr.gov/EagleCam.

Strange Mating Dances

In early spring, observe the fascinating mating rituals of our feathered friends:

  • The American woodcock, also called timberdoodle, performs its mating sky dance at dusk, near wooded openings. The woodcock's bill has highly sensitive nerve endings that can detect earthworm movement below the soil.
  • The sandhill crane, one of Minnesota's largest bird species, can be heard near wetlands as it migrates or performs its distinctive bowing courtship ritual.
  • Bald eagles build pair bonds by performing acrobatic mating rituals including various sky dances such as the chase display, rollercoaster flight and cartwheel courtship flight. 
Sandhill crane colt

Sandhill crane colt. COPYRIGHT: Carrol Henderson


Keeping Tabs on Spring

Do you get excited to see the first spring bluebird, dandelion, pussy willow... or even mosquito(!)? 

Tracking seasonal changes is called phenology. Phenology journals are important for studying climate change. Some of the journals used today were written between 1881 to 1918 by Dr. Johan C. Hvoslef who included notes on birds he saw near his southeastern Minnesota home of Lanesboro. 

If you pay attention to seasonal cues, you will know when to expect to see hummingbirds or morel mushrooms. Learn what to look for and start your own phenology journal.

 

  Dr. Johan C. Hvoslef

Dr. Johan C. Hvosleft. PHOTO: Minnesota Historical Society



Look for the loon this tax season
From the MCV icon

Activities for your Young Naturalists

The Young Naturalists series is designed to engage elementary and middle school students with a wide variety of nonfiction topics on natural science and outdoor life. The teachers guide includes ready-made classroom activities. Read about red-winged blackbirds in the most recent issue.

Minnesota Conservation Volunteer is a print magazine dedicated to Minnesota’s wild places and creatures. For more stories, visit mnDNR.gov/MCV or subscribe.

  A male red-winged blackbird sings from atop his perch. Credit Bill Marchel

A male red-winged blackbird sings from atop his perch. PHOTO: Bill Marchel

Discover icon

Interpretive Naturalist Programs Canceled

"The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in accordance with guidance from state health officials, is postponing, adjusting, and canceling a variety of public events, including open houses, safety education training, interpretive naturalist programs and other meetings."


minnesota department of natural resources

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources  |  mndnr.gov

Email us: info.dnr@state.mn.us  |  Call 651-296-6157 or 888-646-6367

Twitter
Facebook
Website
Copyright © 2020 Guardian Angels Church, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.