Dec 16, 2015 - St. Mary Catholic Schools

December 16, 2015
Upcoming Events
18th
Friday, Dec
• 8:10 Liturgy
Wednesday, Dec 23rd
• No School
Christmas Break
Monday, Jan 4th
• Classes resume
Friday, Jan 8th
• 8:10 Liturgy
Monday, Jan 11th
• 1:30 Pops meeting
Tuesday, Jan 12th
• Pastries with the
Principals
Wednesday, Jan 13th
• 6:30 Band Concert
Friday, Jan 15th
• 8:10 Liturgy
• 11:30 Early Dismissal
Friday, Jan 22nd
• 8:10 Liturgy
Friday, Jan 29th
• 8:10 Liturgy
Christmas
In the Christmas song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, we find the following
lines:
“He knows when you’ve been sleeping,
He knows when you’re awake,
He knows if you’ve bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake.”
So, why is Santa Claus coming? Because you’ve been good; he’s been watching
you and he’s coming, provided you have been good. It’s quite possible that
some people might think that about God at Christmas. We go through Advent
putting ourselves in order as we wait for His coming; God comes because we
are good. This would mean that God is like some Cosmic Santa Claus who
watches us all the time, who knows everything we do – this is true – but, does
He tell us to be good or He won’t give us anything? We would all be in trouble if
this were true.
We are human and live with limitations, we have great difficulty in
understanding Jesus at Christmas. God gave us Jesus even though we were not
good. God does not reward us for being good; God’s love for us is unconditional;
it is unexpected love. It is the love of a true father. The gift of Jesus at Christmas
is difficult to understand because God’s love for us is beyond our expectations.
Also difficult to understand is the manner in which God’s gift to us arrived.
Jesus was born in the humblest of circumstances in an animal shelter and
placed in the animal’s feed box. You could have imagined how shocked the Magi
would have been to see where the King was born. But the real story of the first
Christmas is not meant to meet our expectations or desires of what the
Christmas story should be like. Jesus did not come to meet our expectations or
desires, He came to meet our needs. Jesus came as He did, to make it clear that
no one and no place was beneath His dignity.
So much about Christmas is unexpected It is difficult to receive God’s gift to us,
when we simply don’t deserve it. However, God wants us to receive eternal life
through Jesus as a gift to us.
God, help us to understand more, Your love for us and to fully accept Your
gift of eternal life through Jesus. Amen.”
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School Prayer Cards
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December Birthday Board
As a Catholic school, prayer is
key to our existence and an
essential part of our daily
activities. At St. Mary Elementary School, we believe
in the power of prayer! Because we know that prayer
can impact lives and families, each week we choose a
different person or family to pray for.
Oscar
Ben
Lucy
Talia
Haylie
With that being said, we will be praying for our
school families and their needs and wishes. The
families we are praying for this week are as follows:
• The Davel family
• The Derks family
• The Lawniczak family
We ask that you include these families in your
prayers this week.
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Scrip Holiday Schedule
Scrip Holiday Schedule…
5th
1st
4th
Pre-K
2nd
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Decorating for the holidays over break?
SMCS is recycling old Christmas lights. With
the help of the SMCHS EARTH Club, St.
Mary Catholic School campuses are official
donation sites for holiday lights, and will
earn cash for the lights we recycle.
As you discover those annoying lights that no longer
work, please remember to drop them off at any of our
SMCS campuses!
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Advent Project
No Scrip orders the week of
December 21st. Next order date is
Monday, January 4th for delivery on Thursday,
January 7th.
Bring in a non-perishable food item
for our Out of Uniform day on
Tuesday, December 22nd. Please see the flyer
attached to the e-mail for more details.
New retailer on scrip….
Third Street Market grocery store in Menasha.
Cards are available in $10 and $25 denomination
at 4%.
Thank you Brownie Troop #2361 and
Daisy Troop #2026 for coordinating
this event to help feed those in
need. These items will go to the St.
Mary’s Warming Shelter.
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Elementary Band Concert
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Children’s Christmas Mass
Mark your calendar for the 4th & 5th
grade band concert. Wednesday,
January 13 @ 6:30 at the Fine Arts
Educational Center. Dress code for
the students is a navy polo shirt and khaki pants.
We are looking for volunteers to be
part of the Nativity Pageant at the
4:00 Christmas Eve Children’s Mass. Please see the
attachment below the newsletter.
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Christmas Wish
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Art Wish List
As we celebrate Christ's holy birth, may we be guided
by His Word, filled with His hope, and surrounded by
His love. A Blessed Christmas from the staff at St.
Mary Elementary.
Mrs. Bartow our art teacher is looking for a few items
she would like to use in her art room. If you have any
of these items and would like to donate them to her
classroom that would be greatly appreciated.
Styrofoam egg cartons for paint.
2015 calendars for drawing references.
Rolling pins for clay.
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Out of Uniform passes
Thank you to all that have
contributed to our Winter
Escape event by purchasing
the “Out of Uniform Pass” for your child or a staff
member. These passes will be going home with
your child in an envelope with the parents name
on it. If you want us to hold the envelope for you
to pick up, please contact Deb Schultz in the
office.
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Neenah-Menasha YMCA Basketball Leagues
The YMCA is still taking registrations
with no late fee for its Boys YNBA
Basketball Leagues through Sunday,
December 20th.
We have leagues for grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-9 and high
school grades 10-12. High School players may come
in as a team with a designated team captain. Games
will run Saturdays from January 16th to February
27th. Practices start the week of January 4th. Players
can register individually at the Neenah-Menasha
YMCA. Cost is $46 for YMCA members and $72 for
general public. Registration form is available online
at www.ymcafoxcites.org or at the YMCA.
Please drop any of these items off in the office.
Thank you for your donation.
Mrs. Bartow
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Priority Registration for 2016-17 is Open!
If you register by January 29, 2016 for the 2016-17
school year, you will be guaranteed placement in the
school of your choice and avoid the increased
registration fee. The fee, which is currently $50 per
child goes up to $100 per child after the priority
registration deadline. To take advantage of priority
registration, register online today.
Families with children currently enrolled must log in
through their current account at
http://smcatholicschools.org/admissions/smcs-myfamily-login/
SMCS Weekly Updates
Read the SMCS Email News Updates for
information about the following:
Enrichment Update
Priority Registration
Amazonsmiles.com
New Winter Sports Apparel
SMCS Job Opportunities
Recycle Your Old Holiday Lights
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Classroom Highlights
The kindergarten class has been very busy the past
few weeks! Here are some things that we have been
learning about:
Math: We just started unit 3 of Math Expressions. In
this unit, we will be focusing on partners of numbers
2-10, classifying objects, and building teen numbers
with five groups and ten groups. The kindergarteners
have really enjoyed making up their own story
problems to solve!
Religion: This year, our
kindergarten class is creating a
Jesse Tree of Salvation history.
The Jesse Tree helps connect
the custom of decorating a
Christmas tree to the events
leading to Jesus' birth. Each
day, we decorate our Jesse Tree
with another ornament that
represents the people,
prophesies, and events leading
up to the birth of Jesus.
English Language Arts: This week we are learning all
about Reindeer! We have many books to read. We
have four vocabulary words that we are going to
focus on and learn their meanings. We also started
reading and writing sight words! Each Friday, we
have a spelling test for our sight words and word
family words.
Science: Last week, we learned
about the 5 senses! The
kindergarten students created
their own book about the five
senses. They were the authors
and illustrators of their books!
Holiday Cookie & Candy Exchange!
St. Mary Elementary POPS is
organizing a holiday cookie and candy
exchange for our teachers and staff.
We are asking for contributions of 2-3
dozen non-refrigerated, festive
cookies or candies for this activity.
Please have your cookies at school no
later than
Tuesday, December 22nd by 8 a.m.
Please detach and return the response
form below to let us know if you would
like to contribute to this gesture of
appreciation for a group of people that
give to our children all year long!
---------------------------------------------------------------------Teacher & Staff Appreciation
Cookie/Candy Exchange
_____ Yes! We will provide cookies for the cookie exchange.
_____Yes! I can help assemble plates on Tues. Dec. 22nd at 8 a.m.
ELEMENTARY
Menu Subject To Change
USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTIUNITY
EMPLOYER AND PROVIDER.
Daily: $2.40 Week: $ 12.00 Month: $45.60
Fitness Tip: Try to be active for 60 minutes or more
every day. Run, dance, walk the dog, climb stairs or play
in the snow if you have it.
Milk available daily
1
1% White
Chef Salad & PBJ available Daily
Skim White
Skim Chocolate
Cheese Pizza
4
Chicken Patty/Bun
5
Soft Shell Tacos
6
Baked Chicken Leg
7
Hamburger/Bun
Garlic Breadstick
French Fries
Spanish Rice
Mashed Potatoes
Fritos
Peas
Steamed Green Beans
Refried Beans
Steamed Broccoli
Crinkle Cut Carrots
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar/Dinner Roll
Fruit & Salad Bar
Soft Pretzel & Cheese
11
Spaghetti w/Meat Sauce
12
Grilled Cheese
13
Hot Dog/Bun
Yogurt Cup
Garlic Bread
Tomato Soup
Baked Beans
Steamed Broccoli
Green Beans
Mixed Veggies
Tator Tots
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
18
Pancakes/ Syrup
19
Popcorn Chicken
20
Nacho Grande
14
21
Early Dismissal
Sub Sandwich
Stir Fry Veggies
Sausage Patty
Buttered Pasta
Refried Beans
Mini Pretzels
Fortune Cookie
Green Beans
Corn
Fruit & Salad Bar
Carrots
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Bosco Stick/Marinara
25
Fish Sticks/Shrimp Poppers
26
Mac & Cheese/Corn Dogs
8
15
22
Fruit & Salad Bar
27
Chicken Nuggets
28
Beef Ravioli
Buttered Peas
French Fries
Smiles
Mashed Potatoes
Corn Bread Muffin
Fruit & Salad Bar
Carrots
Green Beans
Corn
Steamed Broccoli
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar
Fruit & Salad Bar/Dinner Roll
Fruit & Salad Bar
29
St. Mary Catholic Elementary School
Christmas Concert December 7, 2015
D V D / Bluray Order Form
Name: ____________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________
DVD disc $15 ____________
Bluray disc $20 _______________
Payment method: Check $____________
Cash $____________
Discs will be delivered to school before Christmas break. For questions or concerns please call Eric at
Viva La Video at (920) 858-3804 or e-mail [email protected].
Thank you for your order and have a blessed Christmas Season.
5th
SMCS Elementary Schools
Grade Education and Career Planning Conference
The 5th Grade Education & Career Planning Conference focuses on progress toward
a student’s personal/social growth, academic/career development and looks ahead
to the future as the student transitions to middle school, high school and
eventually to a career. Emphasis is placed on a review of the student’s talents,
hopes and dreams, abilities, interests, academic performance, learning style and
career interests.
Parents are key members of the conference team. Education & Career Planning
Conferences are specifically designed to bring parents, students and school
together to positively assess current goals and to promote attitudes for future
success.
Conferencing provides parents the opportunity to discuss their child’s talents,
abilities and interests in a positive atmosphere as they look to the future.
Education and Career Planning Conferences are not intended for discussions of
student behavior issues. If desired, behavior issues can be discussed during a
future counseling appointment.
Facilitated by the school counselor, 5th Grade Education & Career Planning
Conferences are scheduled during the school day from 8:00am – 3:30pm. The
length of the conferences is 20 -30 minutes and includes both
parent(s)/guardian(s) and the child. Your student will be bringing a letter home
soon with scheduling information.
I look forward to meeting with our 5th grade students and parents!
Mrs. Newcomb
SMCS Elementary Counselor
PASTRY WITH THE PRINCIPALS
Fill up on coffee and pastries while you have the opportunity to ask questions of our
SMCS principals. Hear directly from our school leaders about what to expect as your
child progresses through our St. Mary Catholic Schools.
Tuesday, January 12
7:50 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
St. Mary Catholic Middle School
1000 Zephyr Drive, Neenah
SMCHS Principal Pat Batey
SMCMS Principal Mike Zuleger
St. Gabriel Principal Jeanine Leege
St. Margaret Mary Principal Eleanor Healy
St. Margaret Mary Assistant Principal Tina Fairweather
St. Mary Principal Jill Ahles