Newsletter 10/08/2026

Posted Date: 10/08/26 (03:38 PM)

HSCS Ramblings

School Newsletter

October 8, 2026

HSCS Mission Statement

Holy Spirit Catholic School, located on the eastside of Indianapolis, was founded in 1949, as an educational ministry of Holy Spirit Parish. We are a Catholic community, rich in diversity, serving students from 12 months through 8th grade. Our teachers, parents, and community, guided by the Holy Spirit, are devoted to academic excellence and the development of faith-filled students who desire to serve others.

Happy THURSDAY, Rams!

Dear Holy Spirit Families,

As we embark upon Fall Break, it is a great time to reflect on what an incredible first grading period we've experienced. Here are just a few highlights:

We welcomed 470 students and their families (YOU!) to Holy Spirit this year!
Holy Spirit welcomed many returning staff members and several new ones for the best year yet!
Students have gotten to experience daily prayer, Masses, and Eucharistic Adoration throughout the grading period!
We initiated a new STREAM course for all Kindergarten - Grade 8 students!
Holy Spirit started an Entrepreneurial course for 7th and 8th graders!
We are close to finishing the newly renovated STREAM DREAM Lab!
Art Club and Board Game Club are up and running!
The Rams kicked off our new House system!
We partnered with Scecina Memorial to offer eligible 8th graders Algebra!
Tutoring groups and intervention groups are progressing!
National Junior Honor Society went to serve at the Midwest Food Pantry!
Students in Grades 4 - 8 set spiritual and academic goals, which they have tracked and will be sharing with parents at conferences!
We hosted our first ever RAM RUN with BoosterThon...and EXCEEDED our goal!
8th Graders got their Leadership shirts and got to experience Washington, D.C.!
Kindergarten students received their Guardian Angel pins!
Several grade levels have already taken at least one study trip!
Rams enjoyed an amazing PTO Harvest Hoedown!

And the most important thing we do every day is grow spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally!

THANK YOU for sharing these beautiful children of God with us. We anticipate great things for and with students in the weeks and months ahead.

May God bless you and your families during this break. May your children stay safe, continue learning, and continue to deepen their relationship with God. We look forward to welcoming everyone back on Monday, October 19.

With gratitude and joy,

Mrs. Fleming & the HSCS Team

CONFERENCES AROUND THE CORNER!

Please sign up for a conference time with the homeroom teacher of each of your children. Conferences are 20 minutes long, and our goal is always 100% participation.

We have a special perk for you this year! Unified Arts teachers will be available in Early Hall to share some fun math games you can play at home to build fluency and computation skills. The best part? You get to take the materials home with you! So please plan time either before, in between, or after conferences to stop by Early Hall!

October 21, 2026 Links:

Pre-K - 3rd Grade:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66417538-fall

4th Grade - 8th Grade:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66417688-fall

Optional Unified Arts:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66417865-optional

October 22, 2026 Links:

Pre-K - 3rd Grade:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66418006-fall

4th Grade - 8th Grade:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66418099-fall

Optional Unified Arts:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0F4BAAAA2DA13-66418185-optional

Upcoming Events

October 8: Last day of school before Fall Break

October 9 - 18: Fall Break - No School

October 19: Back to School; Start of Quarter 2

October 20: Quarterly Awards (Grading Period 1)

PK awards will be conducted in their classrooms

K - 2 from 9 am - 9:45 am

3 - 5 from 8 am - 8:45 am

6 - 8 from 10:00 - 10:45 am

October 21 - 22: NOON DISMISSALS DUE TO CONFERENCES

October 21 - 22: Conferences & Game Give-Aways in Early Hall

PK - 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences

4 - 8 Student-Led Conferences (Student & Parent participate)

October 23: All School Mass at 8:30 am; Full Day of School!

October 26: Grade 2 Study Trip to Benjamin Harrison Home

October 27: Picture Re-Takes

October 28: PK/K Dress Up Halloween Activities

October 30:

All School Mass at 8:30 am

Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Celebration (12:30 - 2:30 pm)

PTO Harvest Hoedown 2026

PTO President Tenure Ends in May 2027

Mrs. Angela Palicki, PTO President since 2019 with service as Co-President beginning three years prior, will be "graduating" from PTO as her younger daughter graduates from 8th grade. She has been an incredible partner in our mission, both through her leadership and her personal service.

We will celebrate her later this year, but need to start thinking NOW about how we can ensure a smooth transition into the 2027-28 program year! While we rely on dozens of volunteers with each event, the president has some primary responsibilities:

work closely with the principal and vice president in goal setting/attainment, communication to stakeholders, and programming
serve on School Commission, which meets monthly
invite and secure chairs for each event; support chairs in getting volunteers for the events we host
remain student- and teacher-focused, Christ-centered, and mission-driven

Our PTO leaders have worked diligently these past several years to offer great programs, events, and fundraisers to support our goals and those we serve. This level of quality requires contributions of many. In order to maintain outstanding, consistent support of staff, students, and families, we ask YOU to prayerfully consider how your gifts and talents might benefit our parish school.

If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Mrs. Fleming at gfleming@holyspirit-indy.org.

HELP WANTED - YOU ARE NEEDED!

Holy Spirit would not be able to offer all of the amazing activities, events, and resources we do if we didn't have incredible volunteers helping along the way! We are requesting that you consider one or more of the following ways to assist in the weeks ahead:

INTERPRETERS FOR CONFERENCES - Are you fluent in English and either French, Haitian Creole/Haitian, Portuguese, and/or Spanish? Are you also able to maintain the confidentiality of students/families? If so, you would be a great asset to us at conference time. We need interpreters from time to time to assist! Reach out to Angelica Perez at angelicaperez@holyspirit-indy.org if interested.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS/Day of the Dead - We would love to have parents at each rotation assisting with activities, photography, etc. We will provide the activities and materials. Reach out to Amanda Mack at amack@holyspirit-indy.org if interested.
"SEE US IN ACTION" OPEN HOUSE - On Thursday, November 12, we are inviting prospective families to see us in action. Ambassadors will give tours, and having a few parents available to welcome new families and share your own wonderful stories about Holy Spirit would be fantastic! Please contact Gloria Fernandez at gfernandez@holyspirit-indy.org if interested.
ELF ON THE SHELF ANTICS - Each year, Elf on a Shelf appears the week before Christmas break to do silly things each morning at arrival. We'd love parent help with some new ideas and options. Do you have a horse or golf cart we could borrow? Perhaps you're willing to cover a class so a teacher can get involved in the mischief? Ideas are welcome! Please contact Gina Fleming at gfleming@holyspirit-indy.org if you wish to be involved.

DRESS CODE REMINDERS FOR OUR RETURN

As stated in our Cultural Guide:

A dress code is appropriate for our school environment, given that student dress has a direct influence on attitude and behavior. A uniform code eliminates competition of student dress and allows emphasis to remain on the learning process. This “uniformity” displays a unified approach as one in the body of Christ. Furthermore, at our Catholic school, we want to help students focus on their internal beauty rather than their physical appearance.

Please review dress code expectations below. These will be enforced second grading period and beyond. Consistent dress code infractions will result in disciplinary action, including but not limited to after school detention and impact on Successful Learner Traits grades on report cards. THANKS IN ADVANCE for honoring this as part of our Code of Conduct.