Dear Parents:
We are now on day eight of the Lenten Season. As we continue on this journey, we are reminded to show personal acts of kindness and sacrifice. We hope you continue to work with your children to help them better understand the concepts of prayer, fasting, and giving. Consider sitting down with your children once a week to discuss their Lenten plan. Meet as a family every Sunday during Lent and discuss ways you have shown personal acts of kindness and sacrifice. Be accountable to each other. If you make this a great
Lent you will notice the difference on Easter Sunday. The celebration of Jesus’ resurrection gives us much to which we can look forward.
Here are a few reminders of ways that the church asks us to observe the Lenten season.
- Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence, that is, limited to a single, full meal and abstinence from meat.
- This applies to all persons ages 14-60. It is highly recommended that children from ages 7 to 14 years also fast and abstain on these days.
- The other Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence from meat.
- During Lent, all Catholics are encouraged to receive Holy Eucharist frequently and to receive the Sacrament of Penance so that all may be prepared to celebrate more fully the paschal mystery on Easter Sunday.
Stations of the Cross: This year, the 4th grade class will present the Stations of the Cross over the next three weeks.Please join us for the first five stations next Wednesday, February 27th at 1:10pm in the church. The following week, March 6th, the 4th graders will continue to lead us on this important journey with the next five stations, also at 1:10pm in the church. To complete the Jesus’ journey to the cross, the last four stations will be presented at 1:10pm on March 13th in the church.
Cioppino 2013: This Saturday, February 23rd, we will have our annual Cioppino dinner. Those of you who already ordered tickets for the Cioppino will be receiving a confirmation email within the next day. Tickets will not be given out this year, instead, those attending will check in at the door. Also, check out the raffle flyer that is going home today. We'll see you there Saturday night!
Storytelling with 8th graders: The kindergarten students are enjoying a special program of stories prepared and told by our 8th grade students. We are very grateful to Olive, our school storyteller, and Mrs. Spiegel for preparing the students to participate in this wonderful experience.
Monday is a short busy day!: The SF Opera Guild will be here in their ongoing preparation of the sixth grade Books to Bravo project. Also, please remember that Monday, February 25th is a minimum day. Dismissal for the primary grades will be at 12:15 followed by the fourth through eighth grades at 12:30 as usual. Extended care will be available until 6:00pm and a hot dog lunch may be purchased by those signed in.
PM EXTENDED CARE: Do you need a 2012 payment summary from Afternoon Extended Care for your flexible spending account or your 2012 tax return? Please contact John Kavanagh at JKav@stmsf.org and he will provide it.
Shoparoo, Top schools win $$$ this February!: As we mentioned last week, Shoparoo is giving away $500 to the top school with the most supporters who upload a receipt in February, $300 to the second place school, and $200 to the third place school. It doesn’t matter how many receipts you upload (although the more the better), it all comes down to the amount of people with support the school through Shoparoo. Eighty-two families have participated so far this month. Can we count on you? Download the app from the App Store or Google Play store today. Even one receipt counts!
WASC/WCEA Accreditation Visit: Next week is a very big week. We will have our three-day visit from the WASC/WCEA school evaluation and accreditation team. They will be with us all day from 7:30am-7:30pm Tuesday and Wednesday and will present their observations and report on Thursday after school. Following this, usually sometime during the summer, we will find out if we have been accredited again and for how long our accreditation period will be. If you see members of the team around during their visit, please say hello. The team members are: Cheryl Cory (chairperson), principal of St. Theresa School in Palm Springs; Charles Cecilia, teacher at Ecole Notre Dame des Victoires, San Francisco; K.C. Isom, teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School, San Francisco; Megan Raudsep, teacher from St. Pius School, Redwood City; and Sr. M. Susanna Vasquez, OP, principal at St. James in San Francisco. During their time here they will visit all the classrooms, meet with a group of parents on Tuesday night at 6:30pm, spend some time interviewing student council member and visit with Monsignor Labib.
Just a reminder, next Friday, March 1st, is a school holiday for all students and the teachers.
Uniform: Firstly, we are keeping the school at a comfortable temperature during this cold weather season. We have a school sweater, and if a student feels the need for extra warmth, they may wear a WHITE t-shirt or turtleneck under their shirt. As has been clearly stated on the school sweatshirt order form during the last several years, the STM sweatshirt is not classroom apparel. The students are welcome to wear them to and from school and in the yard, but not in the classroom.
The second matter of concern is the need for too many students (parents) to wash and iron their pleated skirts and navy pants. Some of the skirts are so far gone, they are gray where they should be white and have only slightly noticeable pleats. Let’s look sharp for the visiting team next week!
See you Saturday at Cioppino!
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
