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St. Mary's School Pontiac, IL Providing Excellence in Catholic Education Since 1903 Phone: 844-6585 Fax: 844-6987 E-Mail: smsprinc@mchsi.com Website: www.stmaryspontiac.org
November 20, 2008 OUR MISSION: TO KNOW. TO LOVE. TO SERVE Please keep this newsletter for two weeks.
Character Counts Quote for Week of Nov.24: RESPECT – “GREAT people talk about IDEAS. AVERAGE people talk about THINGS. SMALL people talk about OTHER PEOPLE.” Saints Awards: Colton Bauknecht, Marcos Carranza, Mary Kate Cupples, Kevin Duffy, Jalyn Hendren, Maddie Jacobs, Shaylee Knittel, Maddie Krenz, Jenna Leonard, Emma Lown, Elizabeth Meiner, Keely Pickett, Gera Reis, Daniel Schopp, Tate Schott, Julia Schuler, Jordan Weber, and Joel Whittle Add to Master List – For those concessions chairs, etc. who have the Master List for the Safe Environment Training, please add the following: *Bert M. (Mike) LoPiccalo. 8th Grade Parents: You should have received a letter on Wednesday from the school regarding the date of Graduation. If you did not, please check with your 8th grader and return the form as soon as possible. Girls Basketball Parents – Please check the regional concession work schedule (held at SMS on Dec. 1, 2, and 4). If you are unavailable to work your shift, you need to find a sub and let Sue Ledford know. Thank you. Lunch Duty – Parents, please honor your lunch duty commitments or give us plenty of time to get a sub. Because so many students have been eating hot lunch lately, we have to send one supervisor and one parent to Central in order to avoid complaints from teachers there about the noise level. That often leaves us short in our own lunchroom or without someone to send to Central. For the safety of our students and for their good behavior, we need all parents who are signed up for that day. MR. Z DELIVERY DAY – Mr. Z’s delivery day is Fri., Nov. 21. Please pick up your order in the MPR (old gym) between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. If you are unable to pick up your order, please make arrangements with someone else. Any family in need of winter clothing for their children ages 5-15 should contact Mrs. Warfield for a form from the Needy Kids program. Forms must be turned in to the office by Nov. 25. Critters! It is that time of year to check your children’s heads from time to time for those lovely critters—lice. Remind children not to trade hats, combs, etc. If it does happen to your family, don’t panic. They can jump from head to head anywhere. The important thing is to treat hair, bedding, and outerwear to get rid of them. The office has some guidelines if you need them.
Priests’ Christmas Gift – Each year we ask our SMS families to donate toward a monetary Christmas gift that is presented to
the priests at the evening SCRIP NEWS & NOTES ........The holiday bonuses continue to add up as many more vendors are offering additional rebates to us for purchasing their SCRIP!!! New this week are: Shell (1%), Barnes & Noble (1%), Lands End (2%), Buca di Beppo (5%), and Gordman's (1%), Previously announced: Dick's, Kmart, Macy's, Sears, Bath & Body, 675 Min Total Access Phone, Cabela's, Eddie Bauer, Gap, J.Jill, J C Penney, L L Bean and TGI Friday's. We are also excited to be able to now offer Steak n Shake ($10 - 7%) and Avanti's ($10 - 10%). Due to the constant changes to our SCRIP offerings, order forms may not always be current so please just write any new vendors on your form if you wish to order them. Our current offering list is always available at www.glscrip.com. Now, more than ever it's a great opportunity to earn money for our organization by shopping with scrip. Plan ahead, take advantage of huge sales this holiday season, and make your purchases with gift cards bought through our program. You save money on your purchase, and you earn a larger than ever contribution for us! For those participating in the tuition rebate program, you earn even more money for yourselves by shopping with these vendors that are offering bonuses! The next order will be submitted on Sunday, November 30 for delivery on or before Thursday, December 4. Please submit your orders either to the school office by Wednesday, November 26 or to the SCRIP box in the church vestibule by 11:30 on Sunday, November 30 or you can get them to Kelly by Sunday at 5 PM. Our deadlines are increasingly important this time of year so please plan ahead if you wish to order. For those interested in using the online order system, you need our enrollment code: 71L918A4151LL. Also, please enroll in advance if you plan to use the PrestoPay method as it takes a couple of days to process this type of enrollment. We're still looking for more school families to participate in this vital program to our school funding!! Please call Kelly (844-3703) if you have ANY questions or send an email to saintsscrip@mchsi.com. Also, don't forget that the SCRIP store will be open on Tuesdays from 12 Noon - 1 PM starting November 25 and continuing through the December 16. Kelly Eckhoff will be in the school foyer to answer questions and/or to take orders. Lots of our school families have yet to give SCRIP a try. Christmas shopping would be an excellent time to start!
Kindergarten Registration for 2009-2010 – Families who currently have students in St. Mary’s School may request a kindergarten registration packet for 2009-2010 beginning Mon., Dec. 1. We would like to have these registrations completed by Dec. 12 so that we know how many slots are filled before registration is opened to new families on Wed., Jan. 7.
Calendar Additions & Changes: *CHRISTMAS VACATION WILL END ON TUES., JAN. 6, INSTEAD OF MON., JAN. 5. TEACHERS WILL BE ATTENDING AN INSTITUTE AT PTHS ON THE 5TH. *Gr. 6 & 7 Parents and Students – The parent/student Confirmation meeting with Monsignor and the staff has been scheduled for Wed., Jan. 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. We will be requesting a Fall, 2009 date for Confirmation. *On Wed., Nov. 26, we will have a Hunter Gerdes Jeans Day. Students and staff will pay $1.00 (or more if you wish) to wear jeans and casual tops. All proceeds will be donated to the family of Hunter Gerdes, a student at Saunemin Grade School and a member of our parish, who is suffering from leukemia.
GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT SMS! *Did you know that 75% of the earth is water? Third grade has been doing some experiments to find out how much of this is fresh, usable water. Out of a 2 liter bottle of water, ½ of a drop is water in the atmosphere, 4 drops is freshwater like lakes and rivers, 13 ml is groundwater, and 47 ml is glacier water. The rest of the bottle is unusable salt water. This made us realize how important it is to conserve our fresh water. Our new science series and all the experiment materials that come with it are really teaching us a lot! *Grade One learned all about Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe this week. Their class will be preparing the Mass for December 12, Our Lady’s feast day. To remind them that God is always watching over us, they made traditional Mexican “Eye of God,” or “Ojos de Dios,” figures by wrapping yarn around a wooden cross. *Are you bread or stone? In their religion class this week, the second grade class learned that “bread people” are nourishing and loving while the “stone people” are harsh and mean. (Most of us are a little of both!) The lesson included a choral reading called “You Are Either Bread or Stone” that is attached to this newsletter. It has a wonderful message for all of us as we begin the Advent season on Sun., Nov. 30. Christmas Program Information: For those families who like to plan early and for families new to our school…
Next Week’s Preview: Thurs., 11/20 *Region III Principals Meeting Mrs. W. gone *GB7/8-Roanoke-Benson-H-6:00 *BB8-Liv. Cty. Turn. @ Woodland (see brackets)
Fri., 11/21 *Mass (3)-9:30; conf. (6) *BB7-Liv.Cty.Tourn. @ SMS
*MR. Z DELIVERY 2:00-4:00 IN MPR
Sat., 11/22 *IMEA District Concert at ISU-Braden Auditorium- 2:30 p.m. Good luck, Rachel, Will, Joe, Kaitlyn, Kristina, and Chloe! *BB8-Liv.Cty.Tourn. @ SMS (see brackets) *GB7-Regionals @ Mazon (Nov. 22-26) 10:45 SMS7 v. Woodland
Mon., 11/24 *ASTA (8) – 10:00 *BOOSTER CLUB MTG. 7:00 in MPR or Gr. 8 *GB7 Regionals @ Mazon (see brackets)
Tues., 11/25 *GB6-El Paso @ Centennial Sch. 6:00 (No bus) *BB6/8-Odell-H-5:00 *Mrs. W. gone
Wed., 11/26 *2:00 P.M. DISMISSAL *PROGRESS REPORTS *Hunter Gerdes Jeans & Sweatshirt Day – Students & staff pay $1.00 to wear jeans and sweatshirts with proceeds going to Hunter Gerdes and family. (See info. on p.2) *Gr. 6 Pizza Lunch *GB7-Regionals @ Mazon (See brackets)
Thurs., 11/27 *HAPPY THANKSGIVING! NO SCHOOL
Fri., 11/28 *NO SCHOOL
Sat., 11/29 *SMS Shoot-out @ PTHS 6:00 SMS7 v. PJHS 7:15 SMS8 v. PJHS
Mon., 12/1 *TPO MTG. IN MPR 7:00 *Begin K Registration for SMS families *GB8-Regionals @ SMS (Dec. 1, 2, and 4) 7:00 SMS v. Ransom
Tues., 12/2 *GB8-Regionals @ SMS (See brackets) *BB5/6-Immaculate Conception A-6:00 (Bus 4:45) *Dioc. Task Force Mtg. Mrs. W. gone in p.m. *SCRIP store open Noon-1:00 in new foyer
Wed., 12/3 *GB7 Sectional Game @ Marseilles – 6:00 Thurs., 12/4 *GB8 Regionals @ SMS (see brackets) *BB5/6-El Paso (Jefferson Sch.) A-6:00 (Bus 5:00)
Fri., 12/5 *Mass (2)-9:30 *Gondola Lunch *Gr. 7/8 Cultural Fair in the Parish Hall 12:30-3:00 Public is invited. *GB7/8-Cornerstone Christian H-6:00 *Submit SCRIP orders to school office
Sat., 12/6 *GB7-State Tourn. (Dec. 6-11) *GB6-El Paso-Heller Tourn. TBA *BB7/8-Lexington-H-10:00 *Sat. & Sun. – Submit SCRIP orders at Masses
Mon., 12/8 *Feast of the Immaculate Conception – Holy Day of Obligation NO SCHOOL
From Grade 2’s Religion Class:
“You Are Either Bread or Stone”
You are either bread or stone.
Bread can be broken and shared with others.
A stone is hard and cold. It cannot be shared with others.
When I accept to share what I have with others and when I help someone in need, I am bread.
When I am selfish and think only of myself, I am like a stone.
When I am interested only in taking advantage of others, I am like a stone.
When I respect others and treat them with kindness, I am bread for others.
When I am a peacemaker when someone is fighting, I am bread for others.
When I am cold with those who could use my friendship, I am cold like a stone.
When I forgive my friends when they hurt me, I am bread for them.
With stones you can break things. When I put others down, or laugh at them, or gossip about them, I am a stone, not bread.
When I use harsh words, think bad things, and treat those around me like enemies, I am cold and hard like a stone. I can break their feelings causing them to feel bad.
Stones are hard and can break and shatter beautiful stained glass windows. I can shatter the lives of the people around me if I am a stone.
Bread is soft and yummy. Bread is good for us. It is food for us. People love to eat bread.
When I think well of others and help them see the goodness and gentleness of God through me, I am soft like bread that feeds us and gives us strength.
We have a choice. We can be cold like a stone to others, or we can be bread for them.
NEWSLETTER UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 SCRIPs The Word - Have you signed up for the SCRIP TRIP rebate incentive program yet? If not, why not? This program provides a great opportunity for you to earn funds towards your tuition account. Simply let your everyday spending reward you; no extra spending necessary. Even your family and friends can sign up and designate you to receive the rewards. All the details were sent home with your children so if you didn't get the envelope, please contact Kelly Eckhoff (844-3703) or stop in the school office.
If you haven't yet purchased SCRIP, this weekend is your chance to give it a try. Maybe start with a gas card or a card for a local fast food restaurant. Need an order blank? Check the school office, church vestibule or call Kelly. Don't forget to turn your SCRIP orders into the school office by this Friday noon OR to the SCRIP box in the church vestibule before the end of 10:30 mass on Sunday. This weekend's orders will be processed on Sunday night and ready for delivery by next Thursday.
Are you planning for new appliances in your home?. SCRIP can pay for these when purchased at Sears, Lowes or Home Depot. It's not too early to begin thinking SCRIP for Christmas shopping! Several retailers have bonus rebates offered right now; J C Penney - 1%, Barnes & Noble - 1%, Eddie Bauer - 6%, TGIFridays - 1% and Cabela's - 3%. These bonuses are in addition to their regular rebate.
Do you have questions about SCRIP? Kelly is ready to answer your questions. She can be reached at 844-3703 or via email at saintsscrip@mchsi.com. (If you can’t reach Kelly and you have a question, you can also call the school office for more information.)
St. Mary’s Booster Club Meeting August 27, 2008 President Jill Seal called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm. Attendance: In addition to four officers, six others attended the meeting. Ron Schulz’s replacements as Athletic Directors are Craig Curry and Vic Johns. Our new officers were introduced, Jill Seal-President, Karen Kuska-VP, Tammie Mills-Secretary and Gina Manker-Treasure. Minutes from the May, 2008 meeting were given to those in attendance for review. Amanda Lauritzen made a motion to accept the minutes. Nancy Milhauser second the motion. Gina Manker reviewed the Treasurer’s report. She reported the profits for the Golf Outing were down. 4-H fair profit was up. Nancy Cortez made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s report. Amanda Lauritzen second the motion. OLD BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: OPEN TO FLOOR DISCUSSION: The next meeting is Wed. Sept. 17th at 7:00pm. The meeting adjourned at 7:59pm. Submitted by, Tammie Mills Booster Club Secretary
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