Dear Parents,
The three
sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church are Baptism, Holy
Communion and Confirmation. Each sacrament is an outward sign of an
inward grace. When we receive them, each provides us with graces—with
the life of God in our soul.
The sacrament of
Baptism, the first of the sacraments of initiation, welcomes us into the
Catholic Church. This sacrament is usually given to infants. The
sacramental grace of Baptism helps us to live as children of God and
makes it easier for us to believe in God and act accordingly. Baptism
takes away original sin and prepares us to participate fully in the life
of the church.
First Holy
Communion, the second sacrament of initiation, is usually received at
about age seven or eight, about the time when the children are in second
grade. Because receiving the Eucharist for the first time is such a
special sacrament, assisting your child in preparing to receive First
Holy Communion, both by instruction and example, is important. By
attending Mass frequently, participating in reconciliation on a regular
basis and abiding by Catholic values, we can show children how their
relationship with God can become stronger. Eucharist is a celebration of
what Jesus did at the Last Supper. The word Eucharist means “to give
thanks”. When we celebrate this sacrament, we thank God for His many
gifts and blessings. Our second graders will receive their First Holy
Communion on Saturday, April 20th at 10:00am in the church.
All are welcome to join us. Please keep the second graders in your
prayers as they prepare for this special day.
When children
receive Confirmation, the third sacrament of initiation, they are
showing that they are responsible, prepared individuals who are ready to
become full-fledged members of the Catholic faith. They renew the vows
their sponsors made for them when they were Baptized. The bishop anoints
the confirmandi with chrism accompanied by the words "Be sealed with
the Gift of the Holy Spirit". This reaffirms the graces of the Holy
Spirit conferred on the child at baptism. Again this year, Bishop
McElroy will celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation with our seventh
grade students on Friday, April 26th at 5:00pm. To prepare for this
important time in their lives, the seventh grade students will attend an
all day Confirmation retreat this coming Friday. Please keep them in
your prayers. A mandatory Confirmation rehearsal for all seventh grade
students and their sponsors will be on Tuesday, April 23rd at 6:30pm in STM Church.
Please consider joining us for our next Family Mass, this Sunday, April 14th at 10:00am. The 3rd and 5th graders are taking the lead in preparing this mass, which will carry a spring theme. We hope to see you all there.
Earth Day Prayer service: We would like to invite everyone to join us for a prayer service presented by the Kindergarteners and 6th graders on Monday, April 15th, at 1:10pm in the gym. See you there!
Now that Lent is over, we are asking that the individual collection boxes to benefit the Missionary Childhood Association be returned to school. Please send in those donations by this Friday, April 12th. As a reminder, this year, the MCA is raising funds for children’s needs in Zambia, Bangladesh, India and Sudan. Thank
you to everyone who has made a special effort to show their love for
others, to THINK like Jesus, and to continue to make a difference in the
world by donating to this organization that directly impacts the lives
of children in many parts of the world.
Tomorrow evening, in Carroll Hall at 7:00pm, the Parents’ Club will have their first-Thursday-of-the-month meeting. Come with your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. See you there!
Front Door:
Some of you may have noticed a change to the school’s front door. Over
the Easter break we had a buzzer system and intercom installed. For the
safety and security of our students and staff, the front door will
remain locked at all times. To enter the school building, all
parents/guardians and visitors need to buzz through to the office.
Peopleologie:
For many years we have been lucky to have the folks from The Museum of
Craft and Folk Art (MOCFA) visit with our students. Unfortunately, due
to lack of funding, they closed recently. Lucky for us, Linda Janklow,
who used to work there has now gone out on her own and has formed an
organization called Peopleologie.com. Peopleologie is a
program promoting cultural literacy, celebrating community, and building
connections to the world through history, humanities, anthropology,
language arts, science, and hand making traditions. Linda is offering
the same classes that she previously did as part of the museum and we
are very happy to still be able to offer this experience to the
students. Today the 4th and 5th graders enjoyed
learning about Rice: Food and Folk Art. Over the next few weeks, all
students will participate in different Peopleologie classes.
Sandwiches-for-the-needy: Thank you in advance to the kindergarten and 6th grade students who will take the lead in providing sandwiches for the needy this Friday, April 12th. We ask students in all grades to consider making at least one sandwich. Our next collection is scheduled for April 26th when our 1st and 4th
graders take the lead. Please remember the following guidelines to help
with the distribution of sandwiches - Individually wrap the sandwiches
(ziplock sandwich bags) and label what is included. This helps people
with allergies and dietary restrictions.
Mandatory Parent Meeting: We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, April 18th at 6:30pm for a mandatory parent meeting for all
families of Kindergarten through 7th grade. Students will not be
allowed to attend this meeting. We will offer free babysitting by
reservation only for those unable to make other arrangements. Please
click here
to make a reservation. At this meeting we will cover the new Common
Core Math and the STEM initiative for the 2013-2014 school year. As an
added bonus all attending parents will be entered into a raffle for a
free small brick in our buy-a-brick fundraiser.
Shoparoo:
Unfortunately we were knocked out of the March Madness contest after
the first round, which only earned us $50. However, Shoparoo has a new
contest for April. This month 10 Shoparoo users are each going to be awarded a $100 gift card to help pay for groceries, as well as an additional $100
to be awarded to their cause. To be entered in the April Sweepstakes,
submit 4 qualifying receipts between April 8th and April 30th. More
details are available here.
Hoop-a-thon: The Athletic Board will conduct their Hoop-a-thon for 4th through 8th graders next Friday, April 19th and for the kindergarten through third graders on the following Friday, April 26th.
Sign-up forms for your child to participate are being sent home today.
Encourage your child to participate in this fun event! All participating
students will receive free dress on Monday, April 29th. Funds raised will support our ever growing athletic programs.
Coaches Appreciation Dinner:
This Friday night we are holding our Coaches Appreciation Dinner to
honor more than seventy people who help coach our sport teams. Some have
coached our teams for more than eight years. What a great way to get
involved in your child’s school. Thanks to their dedication over this
past year, our sports program continues to thrive. We thank them for
giving countless hours to help with practices and games both on weekdays
and the weekends.
Dance Festival!: Save the date! This year, our Dance Festival will be held on Thursday night, May 23rd.
This is the most popular event of the year and is always very well
attended. Our dance teacher, Sue Rissotto, has been working very hard
all year long to ensure that each student has a role in this spectacular
production. All students, Preschool through eighth grade, are expected
to participate in this event.
May 24th: As a reminder, in celebration of Pope Francis, Friday, May 24th will be a holiday, making Memorial Day weekend a four-day weekend. Please continue to keep Pope Francis in your prayers.
At this time of the
year, teachers of all classes will begin working on the Family Life
portion of the Religious Education curriculum. Grades two through five
will be using the Benziger Family Life series and older grades will use a
video series: In God’s Image: A Catholic Vision of Human Sexuality.
We strongly encourage you to use this time to talk with your child
about your family’s individual views and expectations. Please contact
your child's teacher directly if you have any questions about these
programs.
Sincerely,
Marie Fitzpatrick
Principal
