A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and just Pope Francis

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Gwendolyn Sullivan
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1 A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and just Pope Francis September 29, 2015 Dear St. Rita Parent, October brings us many Catholic Feast days, celebrations, and is the month of the Holy Rosary. The Rosary is a uniquely Catholic tradition. The Family Rosary is one of those bedrock devotions for the family recommended by the saints and spiritual masters. The Blessed Virgin Mary herself asked all Christians to pray the one third {i.e. 5 decades} of the Holy Rosary daily in her message at Fatima. When we meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary we are, in essence, studying the Gospel of Jesus life. The Joyful Mysteries focus on his birth and childhood. The Sorrowful Mysteries explore his crucifixion and death. The Glorious Mysteries look at his resurrection and gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Luminous Mysteries celebrate the Lord s ministry on earth. Even the youngest child can learn the story of Jesus life, death and resurrection by reciting the Rosary. There is a wonderful Catholic expression, To Christ, through Mary. This means that drawing closer to Our Lady will always bring you closer to Christ. That is her mission, to help lead us to her Son. Try to spend some quality time with your family during this month and every month praying the rosary. It will bring you closer to God and to one another. May you have a blessed month. God Bless, Mrs. Tiezzi

2 Prayer Corner Let us remember to hold the following people and intentions in our prayer: St. Rita Parishioners All those who pass our school on Whitney Avenue For all those who serve us in the Armed Forces For peace in the world For those who are unemployed For those who suffer with addiction For vocations to the priesthood and religious life For Sr. Maureen Fitzgerald For Sr. Elaine Lattanzi For an Alum mom with Ovarian cancer For Mickey Macholl who is undergoing treatment for Neuroblastoma Home and School Association Working together to build community Check the HSA link on our website at for forms and other information. No School on October 5 th Catholic Educator s Conference and October 12 Columbus Day Observance. Early dismissal on Friday, October 9 12:15. H.S.A Open meeting on October 6:30pm. Dr. Wendy Silverman who is the Director of the Anxiety Disorder Program will be 7:00pm. HALLOWEEN AND PARTY FUNDRAISER - It's frightfully easy to earn money for our school and save 10% on your Halloween Costumes and Party needs. Purchase decorations, costumes and supplies for Halloween, Parties, Plays and more. Simply go to the website listed on the attached flyer (flyer also available on our website) and use our promo code FUN3146 at checkout for 15% off, and 15% of your purchase will go to St. Rita School. Please see the flyer for more details. This fundraiser is year-round so once Halloween has past you can continue to shop for all your party and entertaining needs. Tell your family and friends! Questions? Contact Joanne Bruno at joannebruno@ymail.com. Mixed Bag Designs Fundraiser begins today! You will be receiving the fundraiser packet in your child s white envelope! Please note the fundraising packets are given out to the oldest student in each family. Please see the attachment for more details. Any questions, please contact Nicole Mele (Nicolemele@att.net). Thanks and Happy Fundraising!

3 A Big Thank You!! The weather for this year s Walk-a-thon was perfect! With all of the new features that were added to the event, we were delighted to see the number of St. Rita families enjoying the day. The Walk-athon Committee would like to thank everyone who attended the event as well as a special Thank You to the following people that helped make the fundraiser such a success: The Knights of Columbus for donating and cooking (500) hot dogs. New York Life for the Child Safety & Protection Event; they signed-up (44) SRS children. The (3) bike donors: The Barney Family, Lamboley Law Firm and DRM Construction Solutions. DJ Rick Sarraco for donating his time and playing fun dance music throughout the day. The SRS Alumni team that provided a warm welcome to all that visited their table. ALL the SRS Student and Parent Volunteers! Without your help, the Walk-a-thon would not be possible. Please help us congratulate the following winners: Class Room Incentive Winners: First Place: Dress Down Day Mrs. Williams Second Place: Pizza Party Mrs. Bonini Third Place: Outdoor Lunch & Extra Recess Mrs. Anton Bike Winners: Niko Pellegrino PK4 Kristina Ponzio 5 th Grade David McGroary 6 th Grade The Walk-a-thon Committee is excited to announce that the grand total for this year s Walkathon is: $24,179.31

4 SCHOOL NEWS IMPORTANT MESSAGE ABOUT THE LUNCH PROGRAM-Yesterday I was notified by our food vendor that he will no longer be providing us with this service after October 1. Effective Tuesday (10/6) students must brown bag their lunches until further notice. Milk, snacks and ice cream will still be available for purchase. Pizza will still be available for purchase on Fridays from Paul & Eddie s and must have been pre-ordered for the month of October. Families who have placed their lunch orders on-line for October will receive a credit. We are currently reevaluating our lunch program and will be in contact with local vendors in hopes that they can resume the hot lunch program within the next few months. OPEN HOUSE: For Perspective Families will begin on Monday, October 19, 2015 from 9am-11am. PARENTS: Mrs. Tiezzi welcomes parents to stop by the 1 st Wed. of each month during regular school hours to discuss any concerns or share any ideas that you may have. WINTER UNIFORM: Thursday, October 1, every student must be wearing their winter uniform. 6th ANNUAL TRUNK - OR - TREAT! Welcome to a fun event in which our children get to dress up on Friday, October 23rd go "trunk to trunk" at SRS family cars in the school parking lot! It is a "rain or shine" event just as Halloween is. Arrival time for cars: 5:00pm. Start time of trunk o' treating: 5:45pm 6:45pm. Please noteparticipating cars must remain until the end of the event. Parents: please sign up to sponsor a car by contacting MaryLee Delaney at maryleedelaney@gmail.com Bags of treats may be dropped off in the main lobby. Be sure to send in your family form to let us know you're attending. Thank you!

5 Lifetouch Pictures Wednesday, October 14 Picture forms went home today. These are individual portraits. It is a dress up day. HIGH SCHOOL NIGHT All 7 th and 8 th grade parents and students who attend St. Rita School or St. Stephen School or parish are invited to attend. All area Catholic High Schools will be represented. October 6, 2015, at 7PM at St. Stephen School. HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Sacred Heart Academy: Sunday October 18, 2015 from 1PM-3PM Entrance Exam November 7th Notre Dame High School: Sunday, October 18, 2015 from 1PM-3PM Entrance Exam October 24 & November 7th Xavier High School: October 18, 2015 from 1PM-3:30PM Entrance Exam November 7 & 14 Fairfield Pre: October 4, 2015, from 2PM-4PM Entrance Exam October 17 & November 14 Notre Dame of Fairfield: October 25, Entrance Exam October 31 Mercy High School: November 1 from 1PM-4PM Entrance Exam November 14 Lauralton Hall: October 4 from 1:00pm-3:00pm Entrance Exam October 17 & October 24 SCIENCE OLYMPICS Congratulations to Girls who participated in the Science Olympics at Lauralton Hall. Our 8 th grade team, Isabella Mazzucco and Kristina Crowell received 2nd place. One 6 th grade team, Elisa Cruz, Akira Hippolyte, Trinity Bullock and Michelle Chacko came in 2 nd place. Another 6 th grade team, Amelia Lopez, Isabella Zambory, Isabelle Giaquinto and Juliana Mascia came in 1 st place. NICE JOB!! ACRE In order to ensure that we provide an excellent Religion program that meets the needs of students today, fifth and eighth grade students will be participating in a Religion assessment developed by the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) during the school year, titled Information for Growth Assessment of Children/Youth Religious Education (IFG: ACRE). This assessment will be taken on -line next week.

6 MOCK TRIAL VOLUNTEERS The Middle School offers a great program called Mock Trial. We are looking for Volunteers that are Virtus trained, or willing to become Virtus trained, and have some experience in the Judicial field to help prepare the students for the Mock Trial competition. If you are interested please contact me Jrobinson.stritaschool@gmail.com PARKING ON DESSA DRIVE- Parents are reminded that there is No parking on Dessa Drive between the NO PARKING signs. Since the beginning of the school year at arrival and dismissal times, cars have been parked on both sides of the street which prohibits emergency vehicles from having access should an emergency occur. The Police have been notified and will be giving tickets out if you are illegally parked. Cars can park in the church parking lot, commuter parking lot, or any other place not posted. Thank you for your cooperation. Also please be careful when dropping off your children in the drop off area of the school parking lot. There are times children cross in front of the cars and they are not as visible to the other vehicles pulling into the lot. Clelian Adult Day Center FALL PIG ROAST FUNDRAISER, 261 Benham St. Hamden, CT TICKETS Adults $20, Child $10, For more info call Saturday, October 3 rd -4:00-6:00pm ALPHA TUTORING AND MENTORING SERVICE PROJECT-The Alpha Achievement Program is registering girls in Grades 4,5,6, 7 & 8 for a one-to-one tutoring and mentoring Service Project that will be given by Yale University students and professionals on selected Saturdays at Saint Thomas More Catholic Center at Yale University at 268 Park St, New Haven. The program will run from Oct. 10-April 15 from 1:30-3:00 P.M. The cost is $60. ALPHA is a supplementary educational program which promotes academic excellence and character development among Connecticut youth. To register please call or dohofilena@aol.com.

7 Caritas Christi Center 295 Benham St., Hamden, CT Phone: Fax The Parables of Jesus Eight Tuesdays, Oct. 6 November 24, 10:00-11:45 am Beginning on Tuesday, October 6, Sr. Paula Marie Pitruzzello, ASCJ, will present an 8-week series focusing on the Parables of Jesus. These sessions will explore many of the best known and best loved parables of our Lord. Through presentations and discussions, we will unearth the rich meaning of these stories and how they apply to our everyday lives. Participants need to bring a Bible; handouts will be provided. The donation for this program is $40. To register please call Mental Illness and Stress: The Path of Virtue in Treatment Four Tuesdays, Oct. 6-27, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Beginning on Tuesday, October 6, Stephen Cuddy, a secular Franciscan who manages mental health matters at Pratt & Whitney, will present a four-week program on mental illness and stress. In the journey of life we or a loved one may experience mental illness and stress that is difficult to deal with. Our lives become unmanageable. Through these presentations, participants will learn how a life of virtue provides a path for treatment of mental illness and reduction of stress. Bring a bible as scriptural text will be included in the discussion. Participants may attend any one or all four sessions. The donation for this program is $10 per session. To register please call Morning of Reflection: The Spiritual Adventure of Our Later Years On Thursday, October 8 from 10 noon at the Caritas Christi Center, Amy Ekeh, MA in Theology, and Ruth Mulhern, RN (hospice nurse) will present a program on the spiritual adventure of our later years. Have you ever thought about your later years as the greatest spiritual time in your life? While aging naturally presents us with challenges, there are ways to open our minds and hearts to new possibilities. Join us for an evening of reflection as we consider the graces available to us in our later years. We will also reflect on our spiritual legacies - the spiritual blessings we want to leave behind for future generations. The donation for this program is $20. To register please call Having the Love You Want: a Retreat for Married Couples On Saturday, October 10 from 9:00 am 3:00 pm, Chris and Don Paglia, retired co-directors of the Hartford Archdiocesan Family Life Office, will lead a retreat for married couples. Marriage is a spiritual pathway. God calls us through our journey to grow in a strong and vibrant

relationship. This requires a vision, solid intention and consistent effort. We will explore what it is you really want for your marriage, what gets in the way.

8 relationship. This requires a vision, solid intention and consistent effort. We will explore what it is you really want for your marriage, what gets in the way. We ll conclude by designing a future that facilitates a thriving, intimate and sacred marital relationship. Come to this special One Day Retreat that promises to be a learning experience with time for prayerful reflection, couple time, a supportive community, and some fun. Lunch is included. The donation for this program is $40 per couple. To register please call Holly Berry Festival The annual Holly Berry Festival, a juried arts & crafts fair benefitting the Retirement Fund for the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, will take place Fri. November 20 (3-8 pm) & Sat. November 21 (10 am 3 pm) at Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden. There is a Pasta Dinner on Friday from 5 7 pm ($10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under). There are still spots left for crafters. If you are interested in renting a space call ext. 447 for more information.

September 23, Dear Parents, God s peace!

September 23, Dear Parents, God s peace! September 23, 2014 Dear Parents, God s peace! I recently came across an old West African fable called God s Hat. It speaks of God walking as an old man through a field where four friends were gathered.