Current Newsletter - Holy Family Catholic School

Falcon’s Quill
Holy Family Catholic School, rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, models the virtues of love of
God, neighbor, and respect for all. The school, supported by the entire community, cultivates a
passion about and provides the foundation for academic and life-long learning in a safe, nurturing,
and challenging environment.
January 20, 2015
786 26 1/2 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81506
P 970.242.6168
F 970.242.4244
www.holyfamily-gj.org
1/22 - 8am School Mass at
IHM with Fr. Mike
1/23 - Spirit Day
1/27 - 8am School Mass at
IHM with Bishop Berg
1/29 - Grandparent
Luncheon and Talent
Show
1/30 - Spirit Day and
Ice Cream Social
2/5 - 8am School Mass at
IHM with Fr. Joachim

Mass with Bishop
Berg will be on
Tuesday, January
27 at 8am

Spirit Day has been
added to Friday,
January 30
Issue 21
Principal’s Corner
In honor of Catholic School Week, here is an in
depth look at our mission statement. The
purpose of Holy Family Catholic School and
Catholic education is student formation and the
nurturing of souls. Holy Family’s focus is
developing an environment where students
learn to encounter Christ as part of their daily
life while pursuing literature, history, science,
math, and, above all, Truth, beauty and
goodness.
The late Fr. Vincente Paz en la Casa once
gave a homily for a Holy Family staff back to
school mass. His message was about the
importance of the beauty of teaching. He told a
story about his days in grammar school on a
cold winter day in England. As he and his
classmates sat in class with a teacher whom he
perceived as the strictest disciplinarian ever,
they worked away on their assignments, scared
to make a sound. It began to snow. As the
teacher moved to the window and stopped,
every boy in the class looked up and paused as
the teacher motioned for the class to join him at
the window. Coming out of the snow covered
trees and down the lane was a sled being
pulled by a team of horses. Father Vincente’s
instructor simply said, “Take it in boys, you may
never see a more beautiful sight.”
Father’s message has stuck and continues to
impact life at HFCS. Never forget to teach what
is beautiful. Holy Family’s foundation is based
on the belief that all truth and beauty ultimately
converge in their source - God, and God is the
center of everything we do.
Holy Family’s educational community works to
develop students into complete citizens, ready
to become productive members of society.
HFCS strives to prepare students for life, but
college and career cannot be the sole or
primary objectives. Education focused solely on
secular achievement is shallow and hollow, and
can lead to either pride or despair. Holy Family
Catholic School strives to give our students the
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tools they need to combat the complexity of
secular culture and to view the world through
the lens of Jesus, full of empathy, courage,
and a positive attitude. We work with students
to help them understand that the pathway to
happiness cannot come by secular desires or
by marginalizing others.
HFCS has embraced Pope Francis as a role
model. His examples of austerity, humility,
compassion, and kindness have been a breath
of fresh air. He is about forgiveness not
condemnation. He is a living example of the
idea that we are called to live like Jesus.
Bishop Berg was able to spend some time with
the students this fall and left them with three
ideas to help them on their journey: 1. They
are important. God has a plan for each of
them; they are unique and special. Their life
has value and God loves them even in their
darkest moments. None of them were created
by accident. 2. When you fail or make
mistakes, get up and get over it. Be forgiving of
yourself and others. DO NOT DWELL ON
YOUR MISTAKES! Keep moving forward with
courage and empathy. Do not allow your
mistakes or shortcomings to paralyze you or
your future efforts. 3. Try – Each day is a gift
from God and worthy of your best effort.
Please join us next week as National Catholic
School Week. The list of events is on this front
page.
One great event is the Grandparents luncheon
where we will serve 400+ people. We need
about 20 helpers. Please call the office if you
can help serve lunch, wipe down tables, check
in visitors, or take money.
Please keep in your prayers:
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Sara deBever ~ Aunt of Megan Formicola
The Seabert Family ~ Family of Kathy Pike
Danny Huber ~ Son of Frank & Gwen Huber
Sadie Harper ~ Cousin of Akelia Whitney
Nuala Whitcomb ~ Kindergarten Teacher
Morgan Rister ~ HFCS Student
Jiwen Yang ~ Grandfather of Zachary Smith
Roman Longo ~ HFCS Student
Brent Metzler ~ Son of Diane Metzler
Repose of the Soul of Mr. Joe Prinster
Sally White ~ Mother of Yolanda Pacheco, Middle School Teacher
Repose of the Soul of Donald “Don” Sattler ~ Husband of Rosemary
Sattler, one of our RSVP Volunteers
Marilyn Veselack ~ Wife of Mr. Ron Veselack, Band/Orchestra Teacher
Kyley Cornell ~ Family Member of Rikki Gustamantes
Parents of an 8th
Grader….. Wednesdays - January
21st & 28th during 8th period, 8th graders will
have their pictures taken for the yearbook.
The pictures will be available for viewing and
ordering at a later date. Students may wear
appropriate street clothes on those
Wednesdays for their pictures.
The January
26 - 30 lunch
menu is on
our website.
Go to
ww.holyfamilygj.org and
scroll to the bottom for
a lunch menu update.
Spelling Bee Judges & Emcee Needed
Intermediate is in need of a couple judges and an MC for the
Spelling Bee during Catholic Schools Week. The spelling bee
will be the afternoon of Tuesday, January 27th. Judges
devote an hour to tracking the children's answers and possibly
looking up a word in the dictionary. They will also need to
meet with Mrs. Jamsay for 15 minutes to discuss the rules.
Unfortunately, if your child is actually in the spelling bee, you
cannot be a judge! Please contact Mrs. Jamsay at
[email protected] if interested in helping.
2015 National Geographic Bee School Champion
A group of middle school students including Alesia
Yanowich, Lydia Welling, Colin Lake, Melissa Weber,
Watts Erb, Sam Adamson, Maura Lake, Logan Tarman,
and Marcin Latek recently competed for the title of
champion in the 2015 edition of the National Geographic
Bee. Maura took third place with Logan in second and
Marcin repeated as the school champion. Marcin will
take the qualifying test to determine if he advances
to the state competition in Denver in the spring.
Congratulations to Marcin!
Pro-Life Adoration
Thursday, January 22nd Immaculate Heart of Mary parish will
sponsor a Pro-Life Adoration in our chapel from 12:00 – 4:30
pm. You are invited to spend some one on one time with Our Lord
in adoration and prayer for respect for life.
Candlelight Vigil and Walk for Life that evening beginning at 5:30
pm at the old county courthouse, 6th & Rood.
Call Irene Fritzler at 242.6121 for additional information.
After school Spanish classes will once again be offered for students in Kindergarten through 5th grades. The
classes will be every Monday (advanced classes) beginning January 26th and every Wednesday
(beginning/intermediate classes) starting on January 21st and will continue for 7 weeks. Classes are from 3:004:00 pm. I will contact you with specific dates when you sign up. The cost is $70 per student (checks payable to
Señora Gipson). Snacks and all materials will be provided to the students. If you have any questions, please
contact Mrs. Gipson at 242-6168 or [email protected]
Student Name:____________________________________________Age and Grade:_______________________
Student Name:____________________________________________Age and Grade:_______________________
Parent/Guardian signature:______________________________________________________________________________
Street Address:______________________________________________City:____________________Zip:_______________
Phone:_____________________________________E-mail:__________________________________________________
Day Preferred:_____________________________________ Best time to reach you:_______________________________
Wed. 1/21
Thu. 1/22
Fri. 1/23
Turkey & Gravy
Chicken Alfredo
Mashed Potatoes
Mon. 1/26
Tues. 1/27
Taco Salad
Hamburgers
Chicken & Noodles
Pinto Beans
w/Lettuce & Tomato
Crackers
Fruit Cocktail
Strawberries &
Bananas
Roll
Salad
French Fries
Roll
Pineapple Chunks
2
Apple Crisp
Pickle Spear
Peaches
Salad
Brownie
Grandparent Luncheon
Please join us on Thursday, January 29th and help us celebrate Catholic Schools
Week.
Enjoy a delicious meal and some chicken tenders and great company. Lunch is
$3.00 (correct change is appreciated) and all grandparents, great-aunts and
uncles, nearest and dearest are invited.
Lunch Schedule
Pre-K, Pre-School 10:45 am
Kindergarten 11:10 am
1st Grade 11:20 am
2nd Grade 11:25 am
3rd - 5th Grades 11:50 am
Middle School 12:15 pm
Grandparent Lunch—Catholic Schools Week
Grandparent Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Grandparent Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Grandparent Name: _____________________________________________________________________________
Student Name: ____________________________________ Homeroom: ___________________________________
Total # adults attending: _____________
Thanks for coming - we’re excited to see you!
Primary: Abby Kearl
This month’s student of the month for Primary level is Abby Kearl. She is a
hardworking, caring 2nd grader. She is always kind to other people. Abby is
helpful and willing to do anything that is asked of her. She always has a
positive attitude and is very responsible.
Stacey Marsh
Mrs. Marsh is an incredible light in this
school. She shows courage, empathy and
a positive attitude every day. Her smile
can light up a room. No job is too big or too
small for her. She loves all of her students
as if they were her own. She treats them
with love and respect. She has a strong
desire to see all of the students succeed
and develop a love for learning. She
encourages all the students every day to
do their best and is always willing to help
others. We are blessed to have her in our
school!
Unbound has let me
know
that
the
$3,300.00
raised
this last September
will be going to 31
families in Honduras to build water storage
tanks. This allows these families to have
water even when supplies are low. Thanks
so much for all your support.
Together we can make a difference!
Jennifer Stuckenschneider
Intermediate: Anna Dery
Anna Dery is an example for all to emulate.
“Desire” is a key word for Anna.
Therefore, she has: A desire to learn, A desire to excel, A desire to achieve, A desire to complete,
A desire to compete, A desire to encourage, A desire to please God, family, and others,
A desire to be empathetic, A desire to succeed, A desire to be a positive influence in other lives,
A desire to explore, A desire to work hard without recognition, A desire to investigate, A desire to
prove a premise, A desire to laugh and have fun, and A desire to live life, as God directs!
Middle School: Reagan Thompson
Reagan Thompson displays the qualities of an outstanding all around student. She excels at
academics, consistently earning the Principal's Award. In the classroom she exhibits a quiet
leadership as she always follows what is going on and does not allow herself to lose focus or selfdiscipline. Every day she thanks her teachers as a show of appreciation. She has a pleasant
personality and a smile for everyone. In sports she participates in soccer, where her skills have
earned her a recommendation to play with other players from all over the country in Scandinavia.
Girls on the Run News
Calling all 3rd through 5th grade girls! GOTR is starting up soon,
register
online
at
gotrwesterncolorado.org
STARTING
JANUARY 20. Hard copy forms are also available at the front
office. Hurry, registration ENDS FEBRUARY 1!
Practices will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:10 to
4:30, starting on February 10. The program goes for 10 weeks
and culminates in an exciting 5K run on May 2.
We look forward to seeing you girls!
If you have any questions please contact Coach Erin Lielkoks at
970.260.8280
There will be a basketball free throw
contest sponsored by the IHM Knights
of Columbus group.
It will be held in the HFCS gymnasium
at 11AM, on Saturday February 7, 2015.
Boys and girls ages 9 through 14 are encouraged to
participate.
So come and take your shot at the free throw line!
Students can Pick up an Entry Form at
the front desk.
Congratulations to the following middle school students for winning classroom bees. They will advance to the school bee next Tuesday. Good luck!
Eight Grade
Danny Chamorro
Katie Commons
Maura Lake
Logan Tarman
Seventh Grade
Watts Erb
Miles Hobart
Mario Serra
Melissa Weber
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Sixth Grade
Mia Figueroa
Colin Lake
Magdalena Latek
Lexi Thomas
Alesia Yanowich
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