2002-2003 OLD NEWS

OCTOBER 23, 2002

The “H” in CHARACTER is for Health

TIME FOR A CALENDAR CHECK!  This Friday is a Special Lunch day for those who ordered in time. Also, you should have the evening of the 30th or some of the daytime of the 31st set aside for teacher conferences.  Please be reminded that there are no classes for the students on the 31st, Halloween or on the 1st, All Saints Day. 

STATISTICS-_THEY AREN’T JUST FOR SPORTS ANYMORE!   As hard as it is to believe, we are almost through the month of October and this is a good time to analyze the church attendance of our school children and their families.  Using the statistics at hand from the recorded offertory contributions is the simplest way to do this.  Families who have been contributing $12 per week in the collection should have reached the level of $180 by October 13th.  You might be surprised by the following statistics:  39% of our families have reached that level, 50% have contributed but are not current, and 11% have made no contribution at all. Of all the contributors, 4% have placed all of their contributions in the mail or in the parish office door. 

WHAT WILL THE “A” REPRESENT?  As we do come to the end of October, it’s time to look at the November character trait beginning with the “A” in CHARACTER.  What does your family think it should be? Talk about it over the dinner table when you can so that your students will have given it some thought when their teachers bring it up.

DID YOU HEAR OUR WALKATHON RESULTS?  So many students worked hard on behalf of our school and we are grateful to them. It’s hard work, indeed! Peter Brennan (2-3) and Brianna Dunphy (5-15) will each receive a $100 check for bringing in the most.  Ms. Rose (5-15) is the teacher whose class raised the most so she will receive a $50 check and her class will have a pizza party. Great incentives, aren’t they? 

TALK ABOUT SPIRIT…  is just what Shannon Druding (8-27) and Stan Durkalec (8-18) did! If you were able to be with us on this past Friday with its glorious weather, you might have heard Shannon and Stan share with everyone just what spirit means to them as an 8th grader at St. Chris. Because of their fine essays, these two students were chosen to share their thoughts with the audience before them.  This is one of the many special traditions associated with this very special day. We are most grateful to Mrs. Grace Giammaruti for all the spirit—and hard work—she puts into this day.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS  Let’s congratulate two parents this week who were at the H & S meeting on the 9th.  Their names were drawn and each of them won a $25 Scrip of Choice certificate.  Here’s to Eileen Lees, mother of Ryan in 3-8 and to Catherine Sinclair, mother of Eric in 2-4 and Jonathan in 6-19.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   Hats off to Ted Bordelon (6-21) whose correct entry was drawn.  The answer is prince.  Its plural is princes but if you add yet another “s”, you have the singular and new word princess.  For next week, “We all know that Old MacDonald had a farm with some turkeys and pigs. Remember the ‘Gobble, gobble here’ and the ‘Oink, oink there’?  If he adds everything together, his pigs and his turkeys have a total of 24 legs and 12 wings between them. How many pigs does Old MacDonald have? How many turkeys?”

OCTOBER 30, 2002

The “H” in CHARACTER is for Health

TRICK OR TREAT AT SCS!  As you know from the church bulletin, Fr. Joe has said that families are welcome to bring their children in costume to the 4:30 Mass tomorrow.  Mrs. Forsyth and I will both be there and then will be in our main lobby until 7:00 to treat all those students who are able to make school one of their stops. 

THIS IS IT!   Please remember that today is the final school day this week for our cherubs since tomorrow, like tonight, is parent conferences and Friday is the Feast of All Saints, a holy day and holiday.  If you haven't done so, perhaps you'll have the time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors as it is suggested we do at the time change.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS  If you read The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday, October 21st, you may have read the "Kids' Talk" section.  The editor had asked young people to reply to the question of "What is love and what is love not?" Dan Comas (7-24) had his response printed.  Dan said, "Love is helping another person to grow.  Love is not holding someone back." Congratulations Dan!

Students in Mrs. Reid's homeroom (5-13) heard from another Dan this Monday.  Dan McDevitt, a double leg-amputee came in to share some of his life with Mrs. Reid's class.  Dan is a member of a sled hockey team, plays baseball, skies, golfs, etc. Although this 6th grader has already had eight surgeries and is scheduled for his ninth, nothing holds him back.  He must get new limbs every eighteen months and from listening to his active life, it sounds as if they'd be worn out any way.  What a role model!  We are grateful for such opportunities for our students to see what can be accomplished with determination no matter what life has presented you.

Last Saturday, Mrs. Forsyth had the privilege of attending a ceremony in her home town of Geneva NY.  The ceremony was held to honor her dad, Joseph Heffernan, a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus since 1937.  Mr. Heffernan has dedicated his life to others as a fire chief and also as a chaplain and president of a volunteer fire company in which he has been a member for the past 70 years.  The Knights dedicated their new wing to Mr. Heffernan.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   Congratulations to Mary Hoch (8-18)! Mary's correct entry was drawn and so she will receive a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate.  Old MacDonald had three pigs and six turkeys.  For next week, "Mrs. MacDonald was a farmer, too.  She kept the cows and chickens.  One day when she went out to feed them she counted everything up, and found that her animals had a total of 12 heads and 34 legs.  How many cows did she have? How many chickens?

NOVEMBER 6, 2002

The “A” in CHARACTER is for Attitude

NOVEMBER THE 11^TH IS A SPECIAL DAY       Since so many of our school families have Veterans Day as a parent work holiday, we decided that it would be an appropriate day to hold our November faculty meeting and make life easier for many of you. Being with your children that day will give you the opportunity to remember all those who have served our nation in the military. If you are able to say a family prayer for all our veterans at 11:00 AM on that 11th day of this 11th month, you can teach your children a special part of history as well since that time frame commemorates the signing of the treaty ending World War I.  On that day at Arlington National Cemetery, America remembers the Unknown Soldier—his name “known but to God”.  This remembrance symbolized our dignity and reverence for all of America’s veterans.

YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN PICTURES   but if you were absent on October 29th, you’ll have another opportunity tomorrow, November 7th. The photographer will be here at 10:30 to take the pictures of those absentees.  Please be sure to send in your child’s picture envelope.

IT HAS TO BE SAID   First trimester report cards to be distributed on December 12th will be held if tuition has not been paid through the month of November for those families on the monthly payment plan and/or families whose Offertory contributions are at a very low level.

            Maryann Junod will answer any questions or concerns you have in these areas. She can be reached Monday through Thursday between 9 AM and 4 PM.  Note:  Offertory contributions averaging $12 weekly beginning July 1 would total $204 through October 30. 

            To insure accurate recording of your Sunday Offertory contributions always use the Sunday collection envelopes provided and mark the amount enclosed.

A SUB IS NOT ONLY A SANDWICH…  Around here a sub is a very special person who fills in when the designated person is unable to be here. Presently we need subs to help with pretzels first thing in the AM, to sell milk and juice from 11:30 to 1:00, and to be lunch parents. Our lunch times are 11:35-12:10, 12:10-1:00, and yard K to 2nd grade yard parents from 12:05 -12:35.  If you think you can be a sub in any of these ways or need more information, please contact Mrs. Kennedy at 215-673-5787.

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS  has special meaning here at SCS as our H & S is busily preparing for our first-ever Penny Party Adult Social on Saturday evening, November 23. We hope that you’ve hired your babysitter because it’s going to be a great night. See the flyer.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS   Mrs. Bilkins (5-16) returned to school today. She has missed her class so much as she’s been recovering from surgery but knew they were in Mrs. Curran’s capable hands.  Welcome back, Mrs. Bilkins and thank you, Mrs. Curran!  We look forward to having Mrs. Clausz back on the 18th as well.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   Congratulations to Ashley Paraschak (5-15) whose correct entry was drawn earning Ashley a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate. Mrs. MacDonald had five cows and seven chickens.  For next Tuesday, “One of the numbers below becomes a common English word when converted into Roman numerals. Which one?” 

          38          54          626          1,009          2,376          3,128

November 13, 2002

The “A” in CHARACTER is for Attitude

HER PICTURE SHOULD BE IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO “ATTITUDE”   How often we hear sarcastic statements like that!  We’re looking at the meaning of “attitude” this month as a positive character trait. How many ways having a positive attitude makes life easier! If you can reinforce this concept at home as we do so in school, together we can make inroads. It’s the old “half full or half empty” concept. We want to teach our students to look at the world in ways that make them feel better about themselves and situations.

WE ARE SO BLESSED   Having so many wonderful families who work so hard on behalf of our students and our school is truly a blessing. Right now H & S committees are working away at our children’s bazaar on the 22nd and the adult Penny Party on the 23rd as well as Lunch with Santa December 7th. People do all this while keeping the home fires burning! Bless you all for being so much a part of St. Christopher School.  

ALL WILL BE WELL IN 2025    We have so many motivated student groups working for the good of our school and our students that we know our future looks good as these take over the reins for all of us.  Student Council, Peer Helpers and Tutors, SWAT, Safeties, Service Students, you name it! Every day there are students engaged in doing for others.  They, indeed, exemplify that positive attitude we are striving for with everyone.

SHOULD WE KNOW?   So often there are situations that affect the children that we are not aware of. If there is anything going on in your life that may affect your child, it is a good idea to let the teacher/school know. We don’t need personal details but a simple heads up. E.g. “Things are tough in our house right now” or “Someone special is very sick” will let us know that your child might need some extra TLC. Be assured if you do share details they are treated in a confidential manner.

 …AND THEY’RE COMING TO ST. CHRIS!   The Irish group Blackthorn has such a big following and is so much in demand that having them perform right here this Sunday is a coup for us. We owe a big thanks to Grace Giammaruti, Fr. Tom, and all their CYO committee for planning this special event. Please check in with them if you haven’t made your plans for it yet.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS  Congratulations to Caroline Dabkowski (7-23) whose entry for the Someone Special art contest sponsored by Beneficial Bank was selected to represent St. Christopher School. The judges had a difficult time since we have so many talented students who did wonderful representations of someone special to them. Twelve entries will be selected for their 2003 calendar and we are hopeful that Caroline’s will be one of them.

CRITICAL THINKING 101  So many people got last week’s puzzle right again. You are the best critical thinkers! The answer was 1,009 = MIX, an English word. Tracy McKeown (5-15) had her correct entry drawn for a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate.  For next week, “There are lots of secret number codes we can use to send secret messages. A simple one changes each letter of the alphabet to a number. A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on. To send the message MEET ME AT SIX you write down numbers instead of letters: 

                        13-5 -5-20         13-5            1-20            19-9-24

Clever people can easily work that out and so we want to be a bit more complicated. What does this message mean?

                        14-6-6-21        14-6            2-21            20-6-23-6-15

DECEMBER 4, 2002

The first “R” in CHARACTER is for Respect

A TIME OF PREPARATION  The challenge of keeping our cherubs and often ourselves focused on the reason for Christmas is a great one.  It seems as if the world conspires to make the season a time of frenzied commercialism rather than a time of spirituality. For us all to keep the balance needed requires thoughtfulness. Here at school we work hard to make Advent the spiritual journey it is intended to be and know that you do the same at home. What can we adults do so that our children hear the name Jesus more than they hear the name Santa?

AS WE APPROACH THE TIME FOR REPORT CARDS…    you might want to visit Mrs. Forsyth’s web page to review again the information about our new report card that you’ll be seeing on the 12^th.

IF YOUR CHILD ENJOYS CONTESTS…   check out Mrs. Clausz’ web page for the latest ones. There is a Catholic Charities Poster contest and a Federal Junior Duck Stamp Art Competition listed. Someone has to win these and why not a St. Christopher student?

SOME LEARNING CAN’T HAPPEN IN THE CLASSROOM…  which is why going on trips is such an important part of education. Imagine seeing our state legislature in action which will happen next week as our 6^th grade travels to Harrisburg for a tour of our capital coordinated by State Representative George Kenney.  Imagine the thrill of our 2^nd and 3^rd grades of sitting in our world-class Kimmel Center and hearing an orchestra perform. Imagine being the mayor and other officials and being responsible for running Exchange City as our 5^th grade will do.  We are fortunate to have these opportunities indeed!

“SWEETS FOR THE SWEET”   This is an old but true saying and one that will be actualized again this Friday, December 6^th, the feast of St. Nicholas, as we enjoy Sweets Day here at school.  Thanks again to the Home & School committee who coordinates this day for our cherubs. Our Home & School has been very busy these past weeks with the Children’s Bazaar and the very successful first-time Penny Party not to mention Lunch with Santa on tap this Saturday. What a dedicated group of people we have!

PEOPLE AND EVENTS   If you read The Philadelphia Inquirer on November 11^th, you might have seen the entry of Kristin Benhayon (5-13) in the “Kids’ Talk” section. Kristin’s response to “What the world needs now is…?”  “…not to judge people by their color because you should get to know them before you act.” 

            Christian Stewart (4-9) submitted an entry for a contest given by the “Chio in the Morning” program on Q102 radio and won a trip for four on the Disney Cruise line. He was required to write in 102 words or less what America and freedom mean to him. Each week four winners would be picked and Christian was the first of the four to win. The trip is scheduled for either the end of January or beginning of February 2003. We had hoped to be able to print his essay but it is now the property of the radio station we think.

            Congratulations to these 1^st graders who represented the Somerton Dragons in the 2002 Soccer Turkeybowl coached by Maria Carroll and Nino Caranci:  Michael Berry, Sammy Caranci,  Christopher Carroll, Rachel Foley, Joseph Fernandes, Brittany Hunter, Freddie Licsauer, and Joseph and Rachel Wenner.

            We are also proud to announce that once again Mrs. Helene Clausz will be honored in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers 2002.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   Congratulations to Mariellen Medernach (8-27) whose correct entry was drawn for a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate. The answer was that you would have four sheets of paper. The odd pages of a book are on the right side, and the even pages on the left. Therefore, pages 47 and 48 are opposite sides of the same sheet of paper.  For next week, “If March = 43 and May = 39, then by the same logic, what does July equal?”

 December 11, 2002

The first “R” in CHARACTER is for Respect 

 TOMORROW IS THE DAY!   Although we know how our children are doing in school, we are always anxious to see how things look when they’re all in one place. Your cherubs will be bringing home their first trimester reports which are grade-specific this year as well as rubric driven on the left side.  Remember that Mrs. Forsyth’s website has information about rubrics, etc. if you’d like to read up on them again.   Although we held conferences earlier, either you or the teacher might see the need for another at this time. Check on the back of the report card under the attendance section to see if the teacher has indicated the need for one and conversely you can indicate there if you see the need for one.      

IT TAKES A BUSY WOMAN—OR ABOUT TWENTY OF THEM   to keep doing fun things for our children in the midst of this Advent season.  These busy women are still making time to hold the last Special Lunch of the year for our students.  We are grateful to the commitment so many of you have. God bless you!

ARE YOU SURFING OUR LITTLE CORNER OF THE WEB?   If you aren’t going to our teacher web pages either directly or by linking through our main school website, you should be. In addition to the specific classroom information about which teachers keep you updated, you can get even more. For instance, Mrs. Clausz keeps you updated on the latest and best contests for our cherubs. She’s just posted the Archdiocesan Art Competition which is a Tribute to America this year and has different themes for each grade level. If your child has artistic inclination and/or talent, doing an entry to be considered for this competition might be an enjoyable holiday break pastime. Mrs. Clausz has also listed some grants in which you as parents might be interested.  Mrs. Forsyth continues to research educational sites that might appeal to you and your children and lists those web addresses for you and also the report card information mentioned above.

YOU DID IT!   Scrip will now be for sale on Wednesday and Thursday nights from 7:00PM to 8:00PM from now until Christmas because so many new families have started using the program. Isn’t it great to know that you can do some easy Christmas shopping and save on tuition at the same time?  St. Christopher School is the best place.

WE KNEW YOU WOULDN’T MIND THAT…  our Tuition Night has been changed from Tuesday, January 7^th to Tuesday, January 14^th. On the 14^th, tuition will be collected between 6:30 and 7:45 PM in Holy Family Hall.  If you prefer, you can, of course, mail in or drop your tuition at the Parish Center before then but all payments are due by the 14^th.  If you are planning to use your scrip allowance, a scrip redemption voucher should be included as part of your payment.

            You will be able to pick up a redemption voucher on Tuition Night between 6:30 and 7:30 PM in the Meeting Room which is the regular Scrip location but know that Scrip itself will not be sold that evening. You may also request scrip redemption vouchers forms during regular Scrip sales but need to allow one week for pick up.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS    We have some stars!  The Junior Vogue Players in cooperation with the Philadelphia Recreation Department recently put on The Music Man.  Congratulations to Tim Carlin (3-7), Marissa Fiorentino (5-13), Laura Luisi (6-17), and John Morrison (6-20) for their hard work as cast members of this beloved musical comedy.

We look forward to sharing good news with you. If you have any to send in, please be sure to include your name and a phone number in case we have to verify anything.  We can’t accept anonymous notices as we’re sure you can understand.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   The correct entry drawn this week belongs to Chris De Mayo in 8-26.  If March = 43 and May = 39, the answer was that July=68. The logic being that each letter is replaced by the number of its position in the English alphabet.  Then the numbers are added together. Chris will receive a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate.  Many people used critical thinking skills to arrive at another answer of 35 which was arrived at using a descending minus 2 pattern with the months. There are often many solutions to the same problem, aren’t there. Therefore, knowing that H & S would applaud this approach, we had a second drawing of the 35’s and Tim Herling of 5-13 had that correct entry drawn.  For next week, can you tell us why Santa always has a garden?

DECEMBER 18, 2002

The first “R” in CHARACTER  is for Respect.

SANTA CALLED HERE…  to say he had many good books up at the North Pole that he wanted to bring to our children.  We were delighted to hear that so many St. Christopher children were going to be getting books for Christmas.  Isn’t Santa the best? 

CALLING ALL HAPPY, FRIENDLY PEOPLE    You are definitely needed at the masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning to greet parishioners and distribute calendars and candy canes. Isn’t the opportunity to have a welcoming role in the Nativity a wonderful one?  Please call Sr. Michele at the Parish Center  215-673-5177 to sign up for the mass you’ll be attending.

YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED ONCE AGAIN   Another young student, 3^rd grader Jonathan Blair from St. Bartholomew School this time, was killed in an automobile accident.  The accident took place last Friday and your prayers have been requested for Jonathan and his family as well.  Amen.

HAVE YOU STARTED YOUR 2003 CALENDAR YET?   When you get to it, please be sure to note that Tuition Night has been changed from Tuesday, January 7^th to Tuesday, January 14^th.  Tuition will be collected between 6:30 and 7:45 PM in Holy Family Hall.  You can, of course, mail your tuition to the Parish Center before that date. If you are redeeming scrip for tuition, a scrip redemption voucher should be included as part of your payment. You can obtain a voucher either on Tuition Night in the meeting room/scrip location which will be open for vouchers only between 6:30 and 7:30 PM or by putting in a voucher request earlier. Please allow one week for your request to be processed if you turn it in at a regular scrip sale.

NOT EVERYONE IS PRIVY TO THIS DEAL BUT…   because are famous Children’s Choir will be opening the Philadelphia Phantom’s hockey game on Saturday, January 25^th, at 3:00 PM we get a deal. Student tickets are $7 and adult tickets $10.  You must contact Ms. Connors for tickets by this Friday.  If you are buying them for Christmas, we’ll send you home a special certificate to use as your gift.

TERRA NOVA TEST RESULTS   Please ask your 4^th, 6^th, or 8^th graders for their envelopes with these results tomorrow, December 19^th.  Standardized test scores help everyone see strengths and weaknesses on many levels and are one of the many resources we use as educators and parents to help our children on their academic journeys.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS   Congratulations to Jessica Sylvester (4-9) who won first place in a dance competition sponsored by the Performing Arts Alliance in King of Prussia on November 29. Jessica performed ballet.

            Christina Miller (7-23) has been chosen to participate in the half-time college football entertainment of this year’s Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Florida on January 1^st.  Penn State will play Auburn at 1:00 PM on ABC and we are hoping that the half-time production will be on television as well. Congratulations, Christina, and good luck from all of us here at St. Christopher School.

CRITICAL THINKING 101   Shawn Shanks (8-26) had his correct entry drawn for last week’s contest. Shawn like so many of you knew that Santa keeps a garden so he can “ho, ho, ho!”   For the chance to win the first $10 Scrip of Choice for the new year, see if you can figure out which Christmas songs are represented by each of the pictures on the back of this newsletter. For your entry to be considered correct, you will have to have correctly identified both of the two random boxes I have secretly selected.  This is an old but fun puzzle that challenges us each year.  

JANUARY 15, 2003

The second “A” in CHARACTER is for Appreciation.

WHAT DOES A FOUR DAY WEEKEND MEAN AT YOUR HOUSE?   Please don’t forget that we have no school on Friday for our faculty meeting and on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday.  We try to plan these times to be beneficial to your families. 

IT’S TIME TO SHOW OUR COLORS ONCE AGAIN   To raise spirits and to show loyalty to our great football team, Student Council is once again hosting Eagles Spirit Day tomorrow since the students won’t be here on Friday. Like last week, students may wear their gym uniforms with an Eagles top, hair ribbons, hats, etc. It worked out well last time thanks to the effective publicity by our Student Council.  Next Friday, the 24^th, should be very interesting!  More on that next week. 

THIS IS ONE CONTEST YOU DON’T WANT TO ENTER!  Recently I had occasion to speak with Lt. Ed Monaghan who works in the Computer Crime Unit for the Philadelphia Police Department and who gave a presentation to our parents a few years back about the dangers of the Internet for our children.  Once again, Lt. Monaghan has a warning for you.  A number of our young people are holding contests to see who can get the biggest IM (Instant Message) lists. In doing this, the children often take names and addresses from anywhere enabling some perverted individuals to know when your children are on-line and then communicate, and/or get information.  The Lieutenant recommends that you review your children’s IM lists with them having them tell you exactly who each person is and that you have them keep a limit on their lists. In addition, are you aware that your child might have more than one on-line address?  Technology is the proverbial two-edged sword, isn’t it? It poses so many opportunities and so many challenges.

SPEAKING OF OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES…  we know that finding opportunities to communicate with us when you need to often poses challenges for you.  To help you out, if you need to reach an administrator, you can do so through our web-sites on the teacher pages or take these addresses to use:  Mrs. Kilbride – scsprincipal@hotmail.com, Mrs. Forsyth – marytremper@hotmail.com, Mrs. Clausz – hclausz@yahoo.com. We will respond to you as soon as time permits. Please identify yourself as a St. Christopher School parent in the subject box simply by putting scs parent or a similar notation in the subject box so we know it’s a safe message to open.  We all have to be careful.

TAKE A MINUTE TO SAY A PRAYER NEXT WEEK   At our school liturgy next Tuesday, the 14^th, we will also be remembering Mrs. Forsyth’s mother in a special way since her funeral mass was so far away in Geneva, NY. If you have a quiet moment wherever you are at that time, you might join us in spirit.  We’ll feel it.

IT’S NOT THE SAME OLD PROGRESS REPORT  that we’ve used for the past few years. We always try to communicate with you more clearly and to that end have re-done the progress report from 4-8 at this time to match the new report cards from those grades. The primary progress reports generally model their new report cards already.

CSW   We throw those initials around here all the time at this time of year.  CSW—Catholic Schools Week! Look for our trifold in next week’s communications envelope giving you a day-by-day overview.  Here at St. Chris we have much to celebrate. We are truly blessed.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS  Believe it or not, we have no news this week. Please remember that no matter what you send in, it will only be published if there is a name and number accompanying it.  You are certainly encouraged to send in information about your own child—we love good news and know that you are very proud. 

CRITICAL THINKING 101  Congratulations to Tyler Campbell (5-14) who will receive a $10 Scrip of Choice certificate for having his correct entry drawn. Actually there were a number of ways to go from PIG to STY and from HAND to FOOT as you showed us. Good work! For next week, since you have so much free time to figure it out, how many possible combinations of coins are there for a one dollar bill? 

JANUARY 22, 2003

The second “A” in CHARACTER is for Appreciation

CHOOSING LIFE and recognizing its sacredness from birth to death is a faith commitment that not all Americans share. On this 30^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we ask that you continue to thank God for your own families and pray for all the lives lost to abortion and euthanasia.

EVERYBODY HAS ONE!   We are at the approximate midpoint of our 2^nd trimester and each child from 1-8 has a progress report for you.  Please take the opportunity to review them with your children noting the different areas before signing them and returning them to school.

JEREMIAH WHO?   Yesterday our students were greeted with the words of Jeremiah the Prophet as we began morning prayer. “Ah, ah, ah, Lord, I do not know how to speak.  I am only a child!”  The Lord said, “Do not say ‘I am only a child’ for you must go to all to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid for I am with you.”  We are taking up the challenge of these words from God in the Bible and working to empower our children to be present for one another.  We are a family here at St. Christopher as you are a family in your homes and we must convey that to each other.  If anyone is alone, hurting, bullied, bullying, etc. we are hopeful that the great majority can learn ways to speak what God would say.  We will be sharing more of this as our program develops.  Our Faculty, Student Council, and Peer Helpers are hard at work to bring Jeremiah into each classroom and each heart.

PEOPLE AND EVENTS  Yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer did a feature article on St. Chris alumna Stephanie Melchiore titled “A heartfelt comeback for Nazareth Academy Shooter. Stephanie had been sidelined with a third-degree heart block that required surgery to implant a pacemaker. We are proud of Stephanie for not giving up on her dreams and being such a fine role model for the rest of us.  Way to go, Stephanie! 

 A few newsletters back, we shared the good news that Christian Stewart (4-9) had one a Disney cruise from Q102 Radio for his thoughts on “What America and Freedom Mean to Me”.  His mom sent Christian’s thoughts and here they are:

·         Winning the division champs and working our way through the playoffs in football with my mom, my dad and my brother watching on the side.

·         Playing basketball, hockey and skateboarding with my friends after school.

·         Being silly, loving life and riding in the back of the school bus to school with my friends each day.

·         Trick or treating, waiting for Thanksgiving and making my Santa ‘wish list’ in anticipation of Christmas.

·         Feeling safe.

·         Knowing that opportunities are endless for me in the future.

We’d like to thank all the students who participated in the first round of the Free Throw contest. The following students won and will be competing against other schools this week:  Katelynn Dorety, Danielle Hofmann, Brigid Martin, Kelly McGarry, Kelly Young, Chuck McIntyre, Drew McIntyre, Mike Lemut, Patrick McGarry, and Jack Rymal.  We wish them all luck and will keep you posted.

CRITICAL THINKING 101  Last week’s puzzle continues into this week.  “How many possible coin combinations are there to equal one dollar?”  Come on, you can do it!