Weekly Update 6- October 8, 2026
Calendar of Events |
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| Fr. 10.9 | 8:00 AM K-8 School Mass (church) Last Marathon Collection Day - to qualify for a prize 6:30 PM Middle School Fun Night (gym) |
| Mo. 10.12 | Out-of-Uniform passes may be used 3:30 PM - 8:00 PM Preschool - 8th Grade Conferences (school) |
| Tu. 10.13 | 3:30 PM - 8:00 PM Preschool - 8th Grade Conferences (school) Final Marathon Assembly |
| We. 10.14 | Slow Road Picture Day Gallery Release Date (check your email) 6:00-7:30 PM Spark & Ignite Youth Groups (youth room) |
| We. 10.14 - Fr. 10.16 | SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION: CSCOE Summit & Fall Break |
Looking Ahead |
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| Fr. 10.23 | Picture Retake Day |
| Fr. 10.30 | Archbishop Hebda visit starting with K-8 School Mass with All Saints Procession |
Dear St. Charles Parents,
What a successful Marathon day! Thank you to all who showed up for the Marathon. We have people who came to pray, families that completed service projects, more donors than I can mention, and, of course, so many people showed up to walk the Marathon route and bond with other Charger families. I would like to thank our Home and School Marathon team: Sarah Gideo, Bridget Polsfuss, Kathryn Korchak, Marrissa Ludwig, and our emcee Joe Dickson! Thank you for your leadership and for bringing us a successful Marathon! We are within $8,000 of reaching our $60,000 goal! Please send your Marathon money tomorrow to be part of the classroom incentives, final prize drawing, and help us reach our goal! We are working to get all of it in before the weekend!
Next week is conference week on Monday and Tuesday after school. There is no school on Wednesday because our staff will be at the CSCOE Summit! (This is a biannual day of prayer, community, and professional development for Catholic educators and staff that is sponsored by the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence.) After that, everyone has fall break! This break seems to come at the right time for families each year.
Last night, the school staff served dinner for Formation Night! It was good to see so many families from our school taking advantage of dinner, community and family time, and some formation for the adults and children. If you were not able to make it, the next Family Formation Night is December 2nd; please put it on your calendar. You won’t have to prepare dinner, and your kids won’t have homework!
Our liaison, Tyler Harms, from All Belong in Grand Rapids, MI, was here all day yesterday and half the day today. Tyler’s purpose was to observe how things are going at St. Charles in the area of meeting the needs of students who have special needs. It was great to have him here, and we received advice and coaching, and had an opportunity to discuss what is working and where we can grow.
We look forward to having you, our parents, back in the building for conferences next week. This is always a great opportunity to connect with you and to continue the partnership we rely on to help our children thrive.
God bless you
Danny Kieffer
St. Charles School Principal
Fall Conferences ~ Monday & Tuesday Next Week
Conferences will be held on Monday, October 12th, and Tuesday, October 13th from 3:30 to 8:00 PM.
To schedule conferences, go to the St. Charles School Scheduling Page, select the relevant preschool, elementary teacher(s), and/or a middle school time slot, and then register your name and contact info. This creates a registration for each conference and sends you a confirmation email with a link to choose appointment times. For more details about conferences, please refer to the September 30th email sent from the main school email account. Please contact the school office with questions at 612-781-2643.
Marathon Update & Thank You!
A big THANK YOU to all of the families who attended the annual St. Charles School Marathon this past Saturday, October 3rd! We began the day with Mass celebrated by Father Lynch, ran Charger-spirited laps around the Marathon route, handed out some prizes for silly jokes, service projects and gave away a new bike!
Many thanks to everyone who helped make the Marathon such a wonderful event:
- Knights of Columbus for preparing and serving the food
- CARS Bike Shop for the generous bike donation
- CKC Foods, our school lunch provider, for donating the hot dogs
- Premium Waters for donating the water
- Trio Supply for donating all of the paper products
- Johnny Pops for the delicious popsicles
- @cardmyyard_minneapolisnorth for the fun Marathon sign
- St. Charles staff for their amazing support and front-line help
- ALL OF OUR PARENT AND STUDENT VOLUNTEERS who showed up to help set up and clean up! We could not have done it with out you!
We are SO CLOSE to reaching our $60,000 school goal! As of today, we have just passed $52,000!
***Remember, all students who meet their individual $200 goal by Friday, October 9th, will be entered into the prize drawings at the final assembly on Tuesday, October 13th. There will also be rewards for each classroom that reaches its goal!
Every donation helps support Catholic education and our school programs including All God’s Children. When we invest in our children’s education, we’re investing in the future of our school, our faith, and our community. Every gift—big or small—makes a difference. Together, we can reach our goal!
- Use the school provided donation envelopes and write your child’s name and amount and turn in to the office.
- WeShare link: CLICK HERE. Share with family, friends and neighbors via social media, email or text.
- To allocate funds to a specific student(s), please put their name(s) in the comment section. This will count towards their individual fundraising goal.
- If you wish to make a donation via TADS, please contact Angela Bollensen.
- Company matching funds: CLICK HERE.
Home & School Opportunities
We are in need of volunteers during conferences next week and a few other opportunities that have been added to Sign Up Genius. Please take a look!
Concession Stand Volunteers Needed
Check out the remaining Volleyball concession opportunities of the season.
Concession Stand Sign-Up Genius
Basketball Sign-up Happening NOW for 5th-8th Graders
If your 5th – 8th grader is interested in playing basketball, please complete this consent form and return to Mr. Carpenter. Questions? Contact Mr. Carpenter at tcarpenter@stchbs.org or 612-787-1145.
Coffee and Calendars for Sale!
The sixth graders are preparing for their November trip to Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center. They are selling a variety of coffee for $15 a bag through October 20, 2026, and Wolf Ridge calendars for $20 a calendar while supplies last. If you are interested in placing an order, please ask a sixth grader or contact the main office. Thank you for your support!
Prayer Partners Needed
Calling all prayer warriors! Parishioners and staff have an opportunity to pray for one of our students by name from October to April as our second and eighth graders prepare to receive important sacraments this year. A “prayer partner” prays daily for a specific student and writes a short monthly note of faithful encouragement to that special person. If you are interested in volunteering, you can email Linda with any questions you have. After signing up, you will receive more details along with the name of your student in mid-October.
Well Read Mom Book Club ~ Looking for Members!
“Read more, read well” – this is the Well Read Mom Book Club’s slogan. There are several chapters of this book club already meeting once a month from our parish community, and all school moms are most welcome to join too! This is a nationwide book club that focuses on digging into classic and reputable contemporary novels with a Christian lens. Please follow the link below to sign up.
St. Charles Playgroup
The St. Charles Playgroup meets outdoors at local parks every Thursday at 10:00 AM from May through October. During the colder months (November through April), Playgroup will meet in the youth room at Church and enjoy coffee and fellowship. Please follow the link below to sign up on Flocknotes to get updates.
The Meal Train Ministry
Would you like to help provide meals for a person or family in their time of need?
OR do you or someone you know have a short-term need (due to a birth, surgery, illness, etc.) for meals to be delivered to your home? Contact Megan if you are interested in this ministry.
Join a Parish Small Group!
Please consider joining a small group here at St. Charles. The focus this year will be on the Family. These small groups are fellowship groups, prayer groups, study groups, and a place where you can grow in discipleship together. If you are interested in joining a small group, please click HERE or call the parish office at 612-781-6529.
Prayer Corner
If you would like to add someone to our prayer corner, please email the information to Danny Kieffer.
- For full recovery for Jerry, brother of staff member Glenn.
- For the repose of the soul of Dr. Donald Siniff, grandfather of student Henry, and for comfort for his family.
- For the repose of the soul of Jim L., brother of Mrs. Slattery, and for comfort for his family.
- For the peace of Christ to reign in our hearts, our homes, our community, our world.
Helpful Links for Parents for School, Parish, & Community:
- St. Charles School Calendar
- St. Charles School Lunch Menus
- St. Charles Athletic Calendar
- St Charles School Volunteers
- Spirit Wear orders
- St. Charles Borromeo Parish
- Columbia Heights Parks & Recreation Brochure
- Benilde-St. Margaret’s Open House Oct. 12
- T-G Open House Oct. 29
- TG Free Youth Wrestling Clinic Oct.26 & Nov 2
- TG Youth Wrestling Club 2026
Weekly Update article deadline: Wednesday, 9:00 AM – Send submissions to mwappes@stchbs.org
