The Jahnke/Jensen Family

Chuck Jahnke and Ariel Jensen 

(Soon we will be just "Jahnke Family!"

Yuna Jahnke, 4 yrs old

One Coonhound - Sarah

Two Anole Lizards - Emily and Elizabeth

The Pielmeier Family

Dylan & Katheryn

Landon, 3 1/2 yrs old

1 pet dog

The Staiduhar Family

Troy and Leah

4 children: Madysen, 16; Kalynn, 15; Landon, 13; Grayson, 4.

2 dogs - Lily and Boe

*What brought your family to St. Mary School?

We were looking for affordable care for Grayson as well as a family atmosphere that will teach great values.

*What are your favorite activities to do as a family?

We like to swim, watch sports, and go to the zoo. We also enjoy hiking and anything outdoors, watching movies and travelling to new places and making memories.

Picking out a real Christmas tree while drinking hot chocolate with candy canes is one of our family traditions. This is the start of the giving season and a time for family and memories. We also decorate the entire house as a family, including putting the star on the tree.

(FF 11/9-11/13/20)

The Yauck Family

Tom & Mary

3 Children: Kyle, 42, Wilmington, NC; Melissa, 40 (Brian), West Bend, WI (2 grandchildren, Maya, 8 & Jackson, 6); Michael, 38, Hartford, WI.  2 dogs, Willow & King

What are your favorite activities to do as a family?

We have a cottage on a lake in Wautoma WI. We love spending time there together. Our grandchildren love fishing with Papa and taking a pontoon boat ride around the lake. We love to anchor the boat and go swimming in the middle of the lake. We enjoy winding down from a day of fun in the sun with a campfire, telling stories, and roasting marshmallows. Nana tries to get in a chorus or two from one of my favorite songs but am quickly hushed because of questionability of the quality of my voice. I think they all need hearing aids.

We love getting together after Mass on Sunday's and eating lunch together. We either try a new restaurant or go to one of our houses to enjoy lunch and spend some time playing games, unless of course it is a Packer Sunday then we are glued to the TV for the game. It gets a bit loud at our house during the game. This tradition has been missed greatly due to COVID. I cannot wait until we can bring this one back. Miss it terribly.

One of our favorite sayings is "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff". Life is to precious to worry about all the little things that come up daily or those that we have no control over. Two Saints that we have to guide us and have as role models are St. Mother Teresa and St. Francis of Assisi. Mother Teresa is a symbol of pure love and humanity. She is known for her sacrifice, fearlessness, and tenacity. She has many beautiful sayings. Some of our favorite include "God doesn't require us to succeed He only requires that you try", "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples", "Lead with kindness".  St. Francis of Assisi found the good in all of God's creation. He had few needs and showed others kindness and happiness even when the situation seemed hopeless. Stories are told of his ability to talk to the animals and that they understood him. He is the Patron Saint of animals. Some sayings that we hold close to our hearts from St. Francis include; "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle", "Lord make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love", "It is in giving that we receive". 

Traditions in our family have been passed down from generation to generation. I am truly blessed for that. As a little girl growing up, my parents took us to Church on Sunday and then we went to Great Grandmas house to have lunch with the extended family. I grew up in a very large Italian family so lunch at Great Grandmas was about 30 people sitting at long tables that extended from the kitchen to the dining room through the family room and into the front foyer. When lunch was finished the adult men played cards, the women cleaned up and watched Lawrence Welk and the kids played together. I have been able to pass this tradition to my family as well.

We also enjoy our Thanksgiving meal together with my family and extended family up north. There is something magical about being at the cottage, with our whole family, sharing/spending time together. What even makes it better is a snowfall and being able to build a snowman outside with kids. This year will be put on hold but looking forward to next.   

(FF 11/2-11/6/20)

The Hurst Family

*What brought your family to St. Mary School?

Billy went to school at St. Mary School.

*What do you love about St. Mary School?

We love the that school is faith-based. We also love the small class sizes and high expectations for the students.

*What are your favorite activities to do as a family?

Our family loves to play sports, ride bikes and go to Disney.

Some of our family traditions include decorating our Christmas tree together and the Hurst family Christmas.

(FF 10/26-10/30/20)

The Decker Family

Danny & Sara, Paxton (10), Sullivan (9) and Crosby (7) and their 2 pet fish.

*What brought your family to St. Mary School?
St. Mary's School has a long history in our family. Sara, her dad and his siblings and Sara's grandmother all attended St. Mary School.

*What do you love about St. Mary School?
We love the small family feel of St. Mary School.

*What are you favorite activities to do as a family?
We love outdoor activities! Camping, boating, fishing, hanging out at the lake or hunting in Oxford. We love to travel to new places and can't wait to do it again.

*What is a tradition that is important to your family?
Holidays have special family traditions for us. We have very large extended families. Attending Mass, having a meal and spending quality time with our family is something we look forward to doing each holiday.

(FF 10/19-10/23/20)