September 7, 2011

Dear Parents,

...And Mary kept all these things in her heart...Luke 2:51

This month of September has three feasts of our Blessed Mother--her birthday on Sept. 8th, her name day on Sept. 12th, and the feast of her sorrows on Sept. 15th. Very little is known about Mary’s birth, but the feast is placed nine months after the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The same goes for her name day. Many families choose names for their children for various reasons, and St. Anne and St. Joachim probably had a special reason for naming their child, too. As one thinks about the life of the Holy Family and the many activities Mary and Joseph did with the young Jesus, one has to wonder about the thoughts that filled Mary’s heart as she watched her young son grow. She surely prayed daily that He would be all that God wanted Him to be. You who are mothers must also keep many things in your own heart as you watch your children grow. On these coming feast days, ask out Blessed Mother to guide you as you strive to help your children be all that God wants them to be.

It is hard to believe that we are into our third week of school, and that our first major fundraiser is this Saturday Night. Once again, all families are reminded of their responsibility to sell the Drawdown Tickets and get the stubs and money turned in as soon as possible. This fundraiser raises $15,000.00 towards the $75,000.00 that is the Home and School’s commitment to the budget, and it is important that it be a great success. With everyone’s cooperation, it will be, so please do your part by selling those tickets and getting the returns in by Thursday, if possible.

Next week the 15th of the month arrives, so tuition payments are due. Your statement is enclosed and all families are asked to be on time with payments. This is another great help to the budget, especially these first months when so many bills associated with the opening of school are due.

As you know, our school uses the Teacher Ease Program as another means of communicating with parents and students regarding grades and other issues. All parents are asked to send in their e-mail address so that contact can be made with you by teachers and this office as needed. If your e-mail address has changed or you have not yet submitted your e-mail address to the office, please be sure to send it in as soon as possible. It will be entered into our system and then you will receive a message with directions on what to do to access your child’s information.

Our Market Day Program has a goal of $5,000.00 this year and so you will find the next Market Day Flyer, the schedule for the year, and other helpful information in this envelope. If you have not tried any Market Day products, this may be a good time to begin. The money earned in this program also goes towards the $75,000.00 that the Home and School must earn to assist with the school budget.

Our Magazine Drive begins today and you will find a packet in your Brown Envelope. There is information on how to order online and how to send back the packets with names of people who do not live close that could be contacted via mail. Every child who turns in one of these packets gets an opportunity to try for a gift card, so I hope you will encourage your child to fill out these booklets and return them to school. It would be great to reach our goal of $5,000.00 this year. Remember, magazines make great gifts and encourage reading at every level. If your children see you reading, they will develop that love for reading, too.

NOTABLE NOTES:

The cold weather brings a reminder to get your sweatshirt order in as soon as possible. We would like to place an order very soon.

You are also reminded to send in Milk Money for your child. All milk money should be paid as soon as possible.

Our Home and School Meeting is scheduled for September 13th at 6:00 P.M. This meeting is for parents only and after the meeting, you will have the opportunity to visit your child’s classroom and see how things are going. Hopefully, a report on the Drawdown’s success will also be available at that meeting. Our Book Fair will also be open the night of the meeting, so you may want to browse and find some good reading for yourself or your youngsters.

Project Discovery begins this week, and every child has been placed in a class for each quarter. Some classes had to be rearranged and every effort was made to place students in a class they chose and hopefully would enjoy. Changes are not always possible, so please give the class a chance before deciding this is not a good class for your child.

Be sure to mark your calendar for next week’s Cooking Show on Friday evening. Father Leo has a good message for all families and the food will be fantastic! Some helpers are needed and if you can give a hand, please contact Jill Hill.

Birthdays are always fun to celebrate, so with your family, celebrate Mary’s Birthday in some way. Our Lady will certainly enjoy your efforts to wish her a Happy Birthday, and she will hold you and your family in her heart!

Sincerely,



Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D

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