ST. PETER CATHOLIC SCHOOL Principal s Weekly Newsletter

Transcription

1 October 12, 2016 Dear St. Peter Families, We enjoyed outstanding Grandparents Days this week to kick off our 2 nd quarter. As such a critical part of our school family, our grandparents support our school mission in many ways. Our grandparents set a Christian example for our students. They share wisdom in their experiences and stories of faith. They act as a companion and guide during their grandchildren s young years of formation. Most importantly, grandparents pray with and for their grandchildren. We are so grateful to have shared two beautiful days with our St. Peter grandparents. Special thanks to all our parent volunteers who made these days wonderful. As we begin our second quarter, I would like to ask that all of our families make a commitment to continually pray for our faculty and staff. They are committed to their mission to teach and form our students. They give so much of their hearts and souls to teaching, and we are blessed to have men and women fully committed to Catholic education. Our faculty and staff are here because they want to work with you and support you as the primary educators of your children. As always, we are lifting up our students and families in prayer to have a great year at St. Peter. ST. PETER CATHOLIC SCHOOL Principal s Weekly Newsletter This week, I will be traveling with members of our administration to the 50th annual Administrators' Conference in Biloxi. We are looking forward to learning from various presentations and through collaboration with other Catholic schools in our area. I will share some of the highlights next week. I continue to feel blessed to be a part of this community. God alone, Michael Kraus Important Bus Service Reminder: NO BUS SERVICE on Friday, October 14th October 2016 October 13 (Thurs) October 17 (Mon) October 18 (Tues) October 19 (Wed) October 24 (Mon) October 26 (Wed) October 28 (Fri) Advisory Board Meeting, 7:00 pm Report Cards go home 4 th 7 th Grade Virtue Awards 1 st 3 rd Grade Virtue Awards 1 st Quarter Honor Roll Breakfast for 4 th 7 th Grade, 7:15 am 4 th & 5 th Grade Morning of Reflection Faculty Meeting, 3:00 pm Geaux Pink Day for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center

2 Academic Accolades Suzanne Roth, Dean of Academics Mrs. Donald s 3rd grade class makes Ooblek! Key Cottage is learning about Community Helpers! Sixth grade students in Mrs. Modicut s science class are testing their tornado experiment. Mrs. Kennedy s 3rd grade music classes played their recorders at assembly last Friday!

3 Faith Happenings Clint Goss, Coordinator of Religious Education This month at St. Peter we are reflecting on the virtue of JOY! The virtue of JOY radiating in our lives is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is active within us! JOY is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and Our Lord reminds us that a tree is known by its fruit (Luke 6:43-45). Therefore, as Christians, the JOY of salvation, the JOY of Christ in our lives, ought to be clear for all to see! JOY is sometimes misunderstood. JOY is different from happiness. Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes, but JOY is a fruit of the Spirit a virtue that endures, whether we are feeling happy or sad. Even in the midst of great struggles and great crosses in our lives, the JOY of the Lord can be present and active in our hearts. When we sense that we are spiritually weak or spiritually struggling, God provides us with a remedy. The JOY of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)! Singing praise and worship songs, reading the psalms that rejoice in God s salvation, or simply shouting out Thank you, Jesus! --- all of these things can send the devil running and allow the Holy Spirit to come alive within us! The JOY of the Lord truly is our strength! Finally, one of my favorite stories about JOY was written by St. Francis of Assisi many centuries ago. It can be found in an ancient collection of his writings called The Little Flowers of St. Francis. Check out this deep and challenging story at Peace and blessings be with you and your family! Clint Goss Coordinator of Religious Education Family Virtues in Action We are the Barkerding Family: Bruce, Amy, Landry (5), Brooks (3), "Bear" (2), and Bowen (6 weeks). We are blessed to be a part of the St. Peter parish, school and community. Having 4 children in 5 years, and both being working parents, definitely presents its challenges. Bruce and I find ourselves praying for patience more than anything!! Since they are so young, we try to teach our kids about our Catholic faith in simple ways that they can understand. Love one another, be kind, share, and when in question, always asking our children, "If Jesus were here in this room, would you have said that or acted that way?" And then explaining to them that He is in this room, and He lives in our hearts at all times. We constantly look for teaching opportunities. We discuss events that occurred during the day; why did someone do or not do something a certain way? Then we ask them what they think would be the best way to have handled that situation? Would Jesus be happy with what happened? This all helps us to explain the importance of the journey we have as Christians and that we all should behave in a manner that is pleasing to our Lord. We pray before our meals as a family and encourage each of them to say their favorite prayer. We also try to pray each night before bed by giving thanks to God for all of our blessings. We definitely can do better, but God knows we are trying our best!

4 Student Life Dr. Kathleen Crouchet, Dean of Students and Student Life ROCK Raffle 2016 October Grade Winner Teacher Expectation 7 Haley Gassen Dr. C O 6 Michael Pigg Dr. C O 5 Alton Ackel Mrs. Jas R 4 Cole Mire Mrs. Mahne O 3 Lucas Sotiropoulos Mrs. Donald O 2 Garrett Terrebonne Mrs. Morris O 1 Abby St. Pierre Mrs. Baham C K Quinn Underhill Mrs. Harris O PK Grant Szczepanski Mrs. Vincent R KC Leo Treanor Mrs. Aucoin O Donut Party Winner: Carter Impastato - 7th grade SHOUT OUT TO 5th grade for outstanding behavior for the 1st 9 weeks!

5 REMINDER FOR FREE DRESS DAYS The St. Peter Parent-Student Handbook states (p. 17): Occasionally, St. Peter students will be granted a free dress day. It is imperative that your child adhere to the following guidelines. 6th Grade Volleyball 4H Meeting Monday, October 17th from 2:45-3:45 pm in Mrs. Donald s room. All enrollment forms and dues should be turned in. All shirts, blouses, or dresses must have sleeves. All skirts, dresses, and shorts must be LONGER than MID-THIGH in length for Pre-K through 7th grade. Students may wear jeans or capris (mid- calf). If leggings are worn, the top or blouse must be long enough to reach mid-thigh The midriff must not be exposed at any time. Pants, jeans, shorts, capris, or skirts must be worn at the waistline. Clothing with offensive or suggestive language, symbols or promotion of smoking or alcohol are not allowed. Free dress clothing must not be skin tight or sheer. Shoes must have backs and closed toes. Students who violate any of the free dress day requirements will contact their parent for a change of clothing, may lose the privilege of all free dress days for the remainder of the school year, and may be given an automatic detention. The St. Peter Band played at the 6th vs. 7th Grade Football Game and the Pep Rally SERVICE HOUR OPPORTUNITY The Knights of Columbus is awarding service hours for assisting in setting up the Pumpkin Patch on Saturday 12:30-4 pm. Students are invited to come out and help arrange the Pumpkin Patch. Any questions, please call Jim Vance at (504) with any questions.

6 Advancement Activities Karen Van Zandt, Advancement Director Dear St. Peter Families, To say that our annual Grandparents Days were a huge success would be an understatement. We had over 500 guests at school on Monday afternoon and nearly 400 on Tuesday. I know that the special guests made special memories with their St. Peter students. To coordinate, plan and shop for such a large event takes the work of so many people. We are very grateful to SARAH HERNDON for her YES to the call for leadership and service, as she jumped in with both feet to coordinate the event. Thanks also goes out to her committee members: Tonie Talbert, Angelica Brack, Tonya Moore, Jenni Jacobs, Lori Calderone, Emily Talley, Tammie Mott and our Parents Club Board along with the many individual workers who came out to help on the Grandparents Days. Our next big event is just one month away. Invitations to our annual GALA are being mailed to your homes this week! I know how much comes home in folders and want to be sure that you get your invitation. This event takes many, many hands to be a success, and we have much work to do. Please send me an if you have some time to paint, glitter, tag, etc. We would love for you to both help with the event and come to the event. See you at the Oscars on November 11th! Karen Van Zandt Advancement Director Wanted: Baskets of all Shapes and Sizes! Bottles of Wine for Baskets! You donate the items, we make the baskets.. ON THE MAIN STAGE AT 7:00 pm Sweet Josephine Herndon helping her mom with Grandparents Day

7 6th vs. 7th Grade Flag Football Game & Fall Pep Rally

8 Grandparents Days 2016 Thank you to all of our Grandparents!