Lent Begins Tomorrow Ash Wednesday

Dear Parents/Guardians, 2.21.2012

Lent Begins Tomorrow – Ash Wednesday

All classes will attend Mass tomorrow morning as part of the observation of Ash Wednesday. Thus will start the season of Lent during which followers of Christ are called to prepare for Christ’s resurrection through fasting, charity, and prayer. One such way that we will do this is in a clothing and materials drive we will hold throughout Lent that will benefit the Women’s Center. The Women’s Center assists pregnant women and new mothers who are in need of assistance both during and after their pregnancies. Helping this organization is a celebration of life and a good way for our students to participate in and learn about effective social service.

Basketball Teams

I want to share with everyone how proud we are of our four basketball teams and of their coaches, Mr. Hector Ortiz and Mr. Juan Sotomayor. Our JV teams have had impressive seasons. They have played and continue to play in a great number of games and have improved dramatically throughout the season. The successful girls varsity reached deep into the playoffs and will be playing in the 3rd place game this week. Our boys varsity team also had a wonderful season and will be playing once again in the league’s championship game. This will be the 3rd time in 4 years that our varsity boys have been in the championship game and the 4th consecutive year that we will finish in the top 3. This is an awesome accomplishment!

These successes on the court are made even more special by the fact that our students play the games the right way and exhibit great sportsmanship and teamwork. The accountability and grace that we expect of our students in the classroom are further exhibited on the court. These noteworthy achievements are due in great part to the outstanding leadership of the teams’ coaches who selflessly give of their time and efforts to guide our students.

Progress Reports – Friday, February 24

This Friday you will receive the progress reports for your child(ren). These reports are meant to serve as important communication, keeping you current on how your child(ren) is/are doing in all areas. Take the opportunity to review it and if necessary, meet with your child’s teacher to discuss. Recall that in grades 1-8 the second half of this 3rd quarter will feature less graded class work on account of the Terra Nova tests so there will be less opportunity to change the progress report’s marks.

Fundraising – Magazine Sales and Renewals

In today’s folder you will find a packet dealing with a new fundraiser – the Great American Magazine Sales and Renewals. This was mentioned last week and while it is a new fundraiser for us here, the idea may be familiar to some of you. Essentially, this fundraiser gives you, your family, and your friends the opportunity to renew or purchase magazine subscriptions. The rates are lower than or equal to those you would regularly get but 40% of the price will get credited to your fundraising obligation at school. So it makes sense if you are either going to renew or purchase any new subscriptions to do it through this fundraiser. There will be prizes given to all participating students that sell at least one subscription. All paperwork is included in the folder for your review and sales can be returned starting today through Friday, March 2. Please direct any questions to Mr. Bennett.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Congratulations to the 12 students who last week performed their first Reconciliation. This sacrament of the Catholic Church provides people with the chance to confess and receive forgiveness for their sins. The ceremony last week was an intimate one and hopefully something that stays with these students as they practice their faith. Ms. Graber deserves acknowledgement for her fine job in preparing these students and organizing the ceremony. We will hold a school-wide Reconciliation service during Lent.

Lost & Found

As usually happens during the colder months, our lost & found is unfortunately expanding. It can get fairly messy there with so many unclaimed articles. It does serve to re-enforce the idea that all gym clothes should be labeled. After this week, any unclaimed and unlabeled items will be donated as part of our Lenten clothing and supply drive.

Music Private Lessons

For all of those who returned the original slip indicating an interest in music lessons please consider contacting Ms. Fox if you’d like to pursue it. Several students have already started their piano or guitar lessons and there are still opportunities for more.

Remember: There are 8 days left for current families to enroll for next school year at the currently discounted rates. On March 1 the registration increases and the early registration tuition rate will expire. Please speak with Mr. Bennett if you either have questions or concerns about this or any facet of registration.