September 21st, 2011

Dear Parents,

‘”...Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me’, and he got up and followed Him...” Matt. 9: 9

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Matthew, one of the twelve Apostles. It is interesting to note that besides the four fishermen-Peter, Andrew, James, and John-- Matthew is the only other apostle whose call is described in the Gospels. Jesus walks by his tax collector booth and simply commands that he follow, and the amazing thing is, Matthew leaves everything and does! He was different from the other apostles in that he worked for the Romans in a job the Jewish People hated--a tax collector. Yet, he is noted as one who wrote one of the first accounts of Jesus’ life, with emphasis on how Jesus fulfilled the many Jewish prophesies. Matthew reminds us that Jesus calls people from many different walks of life to be His followers. Jesus continues to call us today to be faithful followers, no matter what our role in life may be.

These next weeks, our youngsters are being called to be test takers. Some of the classes have started taking the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and other classes will focus on them next week. Please be sure your child has some breakfast and gets a good night’s sleep as these help them to do well in their studies, not just during testing times, but always. We will make snacks available for the testing weeks so that those brains can stay on track. It would be good to discuss how important these tests are with your child so they try their very best. You will find a flyer with some test skills that will prove helpful not just for the ITBS Tests, but for testing all year.

Other enclosures include the following:

1. Procedures on how to access the online program of Protecting God’s Children. If you have not taken a Protecting God’s Children Course, you need to do so and can do this online. Simply follow the procedures and once you have participated in the program, send your form to the office so that it may be recorded that you took part. By the end of October, anyone who has not participated will be notified.

2. Climbing Higher Flyer--Perhaps you have need of some extra tutoring for your child. if so, this program offers great help.

3. Letter from the Riley Family--Perhaps you have heard that Mitchell Riley, brother of Brett and son of Phil and Dawn Riley, has had a relapse of his cancer. The family is asking for prayers on Mitchell's behalf and a letter with a prayer is enclosed.

4. Cookout and Market Day Reminders--This is for those who will be working these events.

5. Room Parent Obligations--A Room Parent is still needed for Grade 8. Many thanks to all who have stepped up to assist in the classes. Hopefully, the list of responsibilities will help you.

6. Ice Hog Ticket--These come to our school free and you can use them as you wish.

NOTABLE NOTES:

Our cookout is this coming Friday and Saturday and the committee would like some desserts to put out with the various food items. If you can do a little baking, just bring your items to Dixon Food Center on Friday Morning.

The local High Schools of Dixon and Sterling--Catholic and Public--are again collecting food to stock up the food pantries of these cities. The pickup will take place on October 5th. Items needed include peanut butter, canned fruits and veggies, macaroni and cheese, noodles, etc. Please do all you can to support this project.

St. Andrew School is selling Nexus Calendars. If interested in purchasing one at $25.00 per calendar, call their school office at 815-625-1456.

Parents are reminded to encourage their Jr. High Youngsters to attend the bonfire and fun evening on September 25th from 6 to 8:30 P.M. This is for all our 6th, 7th and 8th graders and is just the beginning of some great activities for our youth.

Pleaser remember that our Magazine Drive ends today, but we will accept orders until Friday of this week. I also encourage you to send in the post card booklets and/or to order online if you choose to do so. Thank you also for supporting our Book Fair. I hope you found books that will be a means of strengthening your child’s reading skills as well as stretching their imagination.

Many thanks to all who came to our Home and School Meeting last week. It was good to see so many families there, and to hear about the success of our early fundraisers.

Many of you have been asking about our Grandparents Day Celebration this year. It will be October 28th and more information will come home closer to that day.

The coming of autumn brings a new kind of beauty to our world. May you enjoy God’s artistic handiwork!

Sincerely,



Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.



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