November 30, 2011
Dear Parents,
“Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way...”
You may have expected a more religious tune as the opening of this letter, but St. Nicholas is a very important figure in this season of Advent. His story dates back to the 4th Century, to the time of his imprisonment for his Faith and his service to others as a bishop. Hence, the colors of red and white, so associated with modern Santas, come from those that a bishop wears, and the giving of gifts from the story of Nicholas’ sharing his own wealth with others. It is a tradition in many countries that children put out their shoes the night before his feast which is December 6th, and little trinkets are placed in them as a prelude to the giving of gifts at Christmas in memory of God’s gift of Jesus to us. In some cases, a piece of coal--yes, coal-- is sometimes placed in a shoe or stocking as a reminder that one has not been very good and may need to show better behavior before the feast of Christmas. As a child, I do remember seeing a piece or two in my stocking a few times as did my brother! Today, Nicholas can be a reminder to us to be a people who know why we are celebrating this Advent Season--to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ in a deeper way into our hearts and family homes. He can also remind us of the many ways we can give of ourselves these busy days--through our helpful attitudes, our smiles, and patience in the midst of a busy world. Let yourself be a child again and live in the spirit of St. Nicholas!
St. Anne School is going to celebrate this jolly saint with a St. Nicholas Party this Saturday, December 3rd, from 9:30 to 11:30 A.M. This party is for children ages 4 to 8 years old and our Student Council will be hosting this event. There will be treats, a movie, some craft time, and everyone will have something to take home to their family. There is even a rumor that St. Nick may show up, too. The event will be supervised so you are free to leave your children and do your own thing for a few hours. However, we do ask that you be back by 11:30 A.M. to pick up your children. This Saturday is also the day of our monthly adoration, so you may want to also spend a few minutes in the Church in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and pray for all children, born and unborn, that they truly have the opportunities to enjoy the life God has given to them.
The Dixon Senior Center is also sponsoring a workshop that same morning, but they are charging--ours is totally free, so think about sending your child to join us.
As usual, there are several flyers in this envelope, so here’s the list:
1. Lunch and Helper Menus for the month of December--Please call the office if you can give some time.
2. Riley Flyer--As you may know, the Riley Family continues to cope with the illness of their older son,Mitchell. This involves many trips to Madison and other family situations. Their younger son, Brett, is one of our seventh grade students. Mrs. Betty Frantz has offered to coordinate meals for the family and the enclosed flyer gives a fuller explanation of her proposal. Please do what you can to assist.
3. 50/50 Flyer--Only 20 families have turned in their 50/50 Tickets as yet. We ask that you please make every effort to sell your tickets and send in the stubs and money as soon as possible. The totals will be published soon and it is hoped that we can give away a large sum of money. That can’t happen unless everyone turns in their stubs and money receipts. Also, tickets will be sold at the Dixon Christmas Walk. If you can assist with that, please call Missy Helfrich at 973-0321.
4. St. Andrew’s Youth Group is sponsoring an evening of fun for our Jr. High Students. A flyer/permission slip is enclosed for Jr. High Students and must be returned signed, with money, by December 7th, to assist the group with planning.
5. Scrip totals are also enclosed for all families. Remember, you are asked to meet your total by the end of March. Please consider purchasing some Scrip for your Christmas needs.
6. Market Day Flyer--Please note that the pickup date will not be Jan. 2nd, but a new date which is still being decided with the company.
PRINCIPAL’S POINTS:
On December 8th, which is a holy day of obligation, our Parish will once again host an evening of Prayer for Life. It will begin at 7:00 P.M. after the 6:00 P.M. Mass and continue until 12:00 Midnight. All families are encouraged to spend some time this evening to pray for an end to abortion and a greater respect for life.
The Box Tops Contest is set to end on December 9th, so please be sure to turn in all your Box Tops by that date and then start saving for the spring contest. Be sure your family name is on your turn in sheets and bags.
One last item involves our Lunch Program. Lately, several children have been bringing items to be heated in the microwave. As of this letter, that can no longer be done at school for the following reasons:
1. Items brought from home and kept in a lunch box, even with a cooler, can produce bacteria and even when heated, this may be a health hazard to your child.
2. Lunch is served with a minimum number of servers, and it is difficult for one of them to leave the serving line to heat an item.
3. The child has to wait a longer time until lunch is served to all the other children and then has a more limited time to eat their own lunch.
Therefore, we ask that items no longer be sent to be heated in the microwave . We are thinking of the health of your child in this matter, and also of our need to comply with regulations from the Health Department. Your cooperation and understanding in this matter is greatly appreciated.
May God bless you in the Advent Season and draw you ever closer to Himself.
Sincerely,
Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.
*
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
November 9, 2011
Dear Parents,
Today, the Church celebrates the dedication of a church--the Church of St. John Lateran in Rome. There are only three such feast days in the Church Year. So why celebrate a Church Dedication? We are constantly saying the Church is really the people of God--not the buildings. In this case, the building is a rather important one--it is the Pope’s Church. Many think St. Peter’s is the main Church of the Catholic Faith, but it is the Church of St. John Lateran where many popes have been consecrated and which today stands as the spiritual home of all the people who form the Church. This particular Church is a very imposing building, with statues of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and the twelve Doctors of the Church adorning its main facade. It has been rebuilt several times, with the current structure in place since the Seventeenth Century. It speaks of the love and dedication of many who worked to build it, many who continue to maintain it until this present day, and many who come to worship there as an expression of their Faith. It can also serve as a reminder that we are the people of God, and as such, we should be aware of how we treat one another. The love and respect that went into the building of this magnificent Church should remind us to show that same love and respect to one another for the Living God is present in each of us as it is in that Church. Let this be one of the reasons for our celebration this day.
I would like to thank all the parents who came to the Conferences last week and kept to time slots so well. It is a great help to our teachers to meet with you and learn a little more about your child, and for you to meet with the teachers to share how your child is doing in school.
I would also like to congratulate our Fourth Grade Students and their parents for all their work on the Architectural Projects. This is the first year the students have worked on a project and they all did a fabulous job.
Congratulations are also due to Ana-Kate Phillips who sold the most pies for the last Market Day Order. She will choose a $50.00 Scrip Card (with her parents) as her prize for this feat. Justin Kanzler is also congratulated for coming in second place and may come for a $25.00 Scrip Card with his parents. The Second Grade Class sold the most pies based on percentage of children and pies sold, and they will receive a pizza and ice cream party in the near future. Many thanks to all who ordered as it brought in a grand total of $1,067.14, bringing our Market Day total to $1,916.37-- over one third of the year’s goal in just three months.
This Thursday, November 10th, at 10:00 A.M., our children will be putting on a program for Veterans’ Day, followed by our annual Turkey Dinner. We have invited the veterans who come to stay for dinner with our children. Invitations were sent to the VFW, the American Legion, the Armory and in our parish bulletin so it is hoped that many will come to celebrate with us as we honor them. Parents are very welcome to come for the program also, but we are hoping a video will also be made so it can be viewed by others. We are planning to feed the veterans, but we cannot feed all parents--sorry!
Several weeks ago, each family received their set of 50/50 tickets. We thank those who have turned them in so quickly as we really want this drawing to be a great sum! If you have not yet sold your tickets, or tried to sell them, please try to do so as soon as possible. You will find a note form Mrs. Helfrich, chairperson of this event, in this Envelope. Please do not wait until the last minute to sell these tickets.
Statements are also in this week’s Envelope. We ask each family to please make every attempt to keep your payments up to date. This is a great help to our School Budget.
Other enclosures include the following:
1. Permission Slip for Grade 3 to go to the Nursing Homes for Mass with Father Mike
2. Notice about Pertussis (Whooping Cough) from the Health Dept.
3. Important News Flyer from the SCRIP Program
4. Newman Catholic High School Flyer--Newman Catholic High School is sponsoring an Open House and Breakfast on Sunday, November 20th from 7:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. A flyer is enclosed with more information. St. Anne School has been invited to have a booth at this event as a means of advertising our school also. Please come and support the cause of Catholic Education.
PRINCIPAL’S POINTS:
The Band Program will begin this Thursday at St. Anne School. If you intend to have your child participate, please make arrangements with Program Coordinator Becky Ryerson at 815-626-4278. It is hoped that parents will take advantage of this program. As promised, every effort will be made to place students for their lessons during the music or lunch periods. This is the last call for the program. If there is no response, it is possible the program will be dropped at our school for this year.
Just a reminder that Newman Catholic High School is sponsoring its annual Ladies Luncheon on Sunday, November 13th, at the Post House.
In closing, on behalf of the Dixon Food Pantry, may God reward you for the very generous donations given for our annual Food Mass. It filled the front and back seat of the Chairperson’s car plus the entire trunk. Thank you for sharing your blessings!
Have a week of many blessings!
Sincerely,
Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.
Dear Parents,
Today, the Church celebrates the dedication of a church--the Church of St. John Lateran in Rome. There are only three such feast days in the Church Year. So why celebrate a Church Dedication? We are constantly saying the Church is really the people of God--not the buildings. In this case, the building is a rather important one--it is the Pope’s Church. Many think St. Peter’s is the main Church of the Catholic Faith, but it is the Church of St. John Lateran where many popes have been consecrated and which today stands as the spiritual home of all the people who form the Church. This particular Church is a very imposing building, with statues of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and the twelve Doctors of the Church adorning its main facade. It has been rebuilt several times, with the current structure in place since the Seventeenth Century. It speaks of the love and dedication of many who worked to build it, many who continue to maintain it until this present day, and many who come to worship there as an expression of their Faith. It can also serve as a reminder that we are the people of God, and as such, we should be aware of how we treat one another. The love and respect that went into the building of this magnificent Church should remind us to show that same love and respect to one another for the Living God is present in each of us as it is in that Church. Let this be one of the reasons for our celebration this day.
I would like to thank all the parents who came to the Conferences last week and kept to time slots so well. It is a great help to our teachers to meet with you and learn a little more about your child, and for you to meet with the teachers to share how your child is doing in school.
I would also like to congratulate our Fourth Grade Students and their parents for all their work on the Architectural Projects. This is the first year the students have worked on a project and they all did a fabulous job.
Congratulations are also due to Ana-Kate Phillips who sold the most pies for the last Market Day Order. She will choose a $50.00 Scrip Card (with her parents) as her prize for this feat. Justin Kanzler is also congratulated for coming in second place and may come for a $25.00 Scrip Card with his parents. The Second Grade Class sold the most pies based on percentage of children and pies sold, and they will receive a pizza and ice cream party in the near future. Many thanks to all who ordered as it brought in a grand total of $1,067.14, bringing our Market Day total to $1,916.37-- over one third of the year’s goal in just three months.
This Thursday, November 10th, at 10:00 A.M., our children will be putting on a program for Veterans’ Day, followed by our annual Turkey Dinner. We have invited the veterans who come to stay for dinner with our children. Invitations were sent to the VFW, the American Legion, the Armory and in our parish bulletin so it is hoped that many will come to celebrate with us as we honor them. Parents are very welcome to come for the program also, but we are hoping a video will also be made so it can be viewed by others. We are planning to feed the veterans, but we cannot feed all parents--sorry!
Several weeks ago, each family received their set of 50/50 tickets. We thank those who have turned them in so quickly as we really want this drawing to be a great sum! If you have not yet sold your tickets, or tried to sell them, please try to do so as soon as possible. You will find a note form Mrs. Helfrich, chairperson of this event, in this Envelope. Please do not wait until the last minute to sell these tickets.
Statements are also in this week’s Envelope. We ask each family to please make every attempt to keep your payments up to date. This is a great help to our School Budget.
Other enclosures include the following:
1. Permission Slip for Grade 3 to go to the Nursing Homes for Mass with Father Mike
2. Notice about Pertussis (Whooping Cough) from the Health Dept.
3. Important News Flyer from the SCRIP Program
4. Newman Catholic High School Flyer--Newman Catholic High School is sponsoring an Open House and Breakfast on Sunday, November 20th from 7:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. A flyer is enclosed with more information. St. Anne School has been invited to have a booth at this event as a means of advertising our school also. Please come and support the cause of Catholic Education.
PRINCIPAL’S POINTS:
The Band Program will begin this Thursday at St. Anne School. If you intend to have your child participate, please make arrangements with Program Coordinator Becky Ryerson at 815-626-4278. It is hoped that parents will take advantage of this program. As promised, every effort will be made to place students for their lessons during the music or lunch periods. This is the last call for the program. If there is no response, it is possible the program will be dropped at our school for this year.
Just a reminder that Newman Catholic High School is sponsoring its annual Ladies Luncheon on Sunday, November 13th, at the Post House.
In closing, on behalf of the Dixon Food Pantry, may God reward you for the very generous donations given for our annual Food Mass. It filled the front and back seat of the Chairperson’s car plus the entire trunk. Thank you for sharing your blessings!
Have a week of many blessings!
Sincerely,
Sister Marcianne, S.S.N.D.
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