St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas Office Phone

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1 St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas Office Phone Check us out on the Internet at or December 2, School Year Theme Superheroes for Jesus Hebrews 12:1-3 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Dec. 3 Jingle Bells and Jammies Christmas Fellowship 9:00-10:30 AM Dec. 3-4 Nativity Nights at St. Paul 5:00-8:00 PM Dec. 4 Lesson & Carols Worship Service 10:00 AM Dec. 6 Boys BB Game vs St. Luke 4:30 PM Dec. 7 School Chapel Service 8:20 AM Dec. 9 PSIA Parent Information Meeting 4:00 PM Dec. 13 RGV Vipers Field Trip Dec. 14 Children s Christmas Service 7:00 PM Dec. 16 & 19 Classes Christmas Caroling mornings Dec. 19 Family Christmas Lunch 11:30 AM Dec. 20 All-School Christmas Assembly 8:30 AM Favorite Carol Chapel Service 11:00 AM Early Dismissal 12:30 PM Dec. 21-Jan. 3 Christmas Vacation Prayer Walk Families for the week of Dec. 2-8 Saria Lopez Isabelle Lutrick Lexi Makai From the Principal s Desk... Long ago in a little town, most of the people got ready for Christmas by decorating their houses with lights and ornaments. However, one older couple did things a little differently. They cleaned everything! They would scrub their whole house from ceiling to floor. When they were done, they would announce to the whole town that now they were ready for Christmas, the coming of the Christ Child. John the Baptist would have liked that old couple. Throughout John s ministry in the wilderness, he called on people to make themselves clean as a way of getting ready for the coming Messiah. In his camel hair coat, John may have looked strange, but he was God s messenger sent to make things ready for the coming Messiah. He was, as the prophet Isaiah called him, the voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord (Luke 3:4). John called people to get ready, not by decorating houses or throwing parties. Rather, John knew that the way to really get ready for the coming Savior was to turn away from sin to repent and to look to the one coming for forgiveness and new life. The words of John still call us today! His words call us to get ready for the coming Savior not by decorating our homes and buying expensive gifts but most importantly by getting ready on the inside. We get ready John s way when we turn away from our sins. We get ready John s way when we remember that we have been baptized and made children of God. And, we get ready John s way when we welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes with love, forgiveness, and the new life he brings. Like the old couple in the story who washed and cleaned their whole house in preparation for Christmas, we, too are to prepare ourselves to receive Jesus this Christmas by making ourselves new and clean. May our prayer this Advent season be that our Lord Jesus enter our lives and create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10) come to us with your life and your love. In Christ s Service, James L. House, Principal

2 JINGLE BELLS & JAMMIES...You are invited to attend Jingle Bells & Jammies tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 3 rd from 9:00-10:30 AM in the cafetorium. Following a light donut & milk or juice breakfast, we ll sing carols, do a Christmas craft, enjoy some Christmas treats, and share the story of Christ s birth at Christmas. Great fun for children ages 2 through 4 th Grade and their families! Remember to wear your pajamas and join us for this fun Christmastime fellowship event tomorrow morning. NATIVITY NIGHTS Join us this Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 3 rd & 4 th from 5:00-8:00 PM for Nativity Nights at St. Paul. We will host two nights to a live nativity on the front lawn of the church, the peace of the Nativity Walk in the sanctuary, and the opportunity to engage in family fun activities centered on the birth of Jesus! We expect thousands of people from the community to join us this year for this exciting event! Plan to join us for the food, fun, and opportunity to share the Hope we have in Jesus in this season of the year! HELP US INVITE THEM!...We hope to involve thousands of folks in this year s Nativity Nights celebration. But, they ll only come if they re invited by YOU! To help you invite your relative, neighbors, co-workers, and friends, we re sending home another special Nativity Nights Post Card. Give it to a friend this weekend and invite them to come along with you on Saturday or Sunday evening! LESSONS & CAROLS SERVICE Join us this Sunday, Dec. 4 th on the Academy campus for Lessons & Carols Worship Service at 10:00 AM in the gym. This special service will provide an opportunity for all of our members and guests to worship together as one and to celebrate Holy Communion as one body in Christ! The service will also feature the singing of many favorite Christmas carols accompanied by a string quartet and piano as we hear from God s Word! Plan now to attend and worship with us at Lessons & Carols. ST. NICHOLAS DAY...is Tuesday, Dec. 6 th. The students and staff of St. Paul Academy will observe the day by participating in the ancient custom of placing their shoes outside their classroom doors and receiving a special treat. Be sure to ask your child about the Legend of St. Nicholas and the lessons of Christian generosity learned from this early Christian church leader next Tuesday. CHAPEL OFFERING PROJECT...This week s chapel offerings in support of the Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child project totaled $44.83; bringing our four-week total to $ Please remember your chapel offerings next Wednesday in support of Operation Christmas Child as we near our $400 goal. ANNUAL FUND GIFTS...Earlier this week, every St. Paul Academy family received a letter asking for your kind support and generous donations to this year s St. Paul Academy Annual Fund. This is a great opportunity for you to direct some of your year-end giving to the ministry of St. Paul Academy and your child s continuing education, and receive a nice tax-deduction, too! Already this week, we ve received several gifts totaling over $3,000. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to St. Paul Academy this holiday season! Any questions, contact Mr. House. PSIA PARENT MEETING...We were very pleased to see so many student register to participate in the 2016 PSIA district competition in March. To begin preparing for competition, we will hold a PSIA Parent Meeting next Friday, Dec. 9 th at 4:00 PM in the library. At this meeting, you will receive rules and information for your contests. You ll also talk with your event coaches and decide upon the best days and times to meet for practices. It is VITAL that both parents and students attend this important meeting. Make plans now to attend! ANGEL TREE GIFTS...Just a reminder if you chose one of the angels from the Angel Tree during the last few weeks, the deadline for returning your wrapped gift to the school office is next Friday, Dec. 9 th. We plan to deliver the gifts to our special community families soon after. Remember to bring your wrapped gifts along with the angel tag. Thanks for your generosity in supporting this special project!

3 CHILDREN S CHRISTMAS SERVICE...Plan to attend the 2016 St. Paul Academy Children s Christmas Service on Wednesday, Dec. 14 th at 7:00 PM in the gymnasium. Our PK thru 7 th grade students will lead the evening worship service entitled, What Child is This? with our focus on the message of the Christmas Gospel told through a series of questions in song and verse about Jesus birth. We hope to see all of you the evening of Dec. 14 th as we sing favorite Christmas carols and share the story of Christ s birth once again through the message of the children s worship service! PRE-SERVICE SUPPER...St. Paul Academy will hold an Advent Sloppy Joe Supper for our families and members & guests of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Academy on Wednesday, Dec. 14 th from 5:30-6:30 PM (prior to the Children s Christmas Service) in the cafetorium. Check out the flyer coming home today on which you can place your reservation. All reservation forms should be returned to the school office by next Friday, Dec. 9 th. Thanks for your support of our Advent Sloppy Joe Supper! ICE GALA AUCTION NEWS...Planning for the 2016 St. Paul ICE Gala Dinner & Auction scheduled for Saturday, February 25 th is moving right along! More details will be coming home in late December regarding ticket sales, group/corporate tables, etc. Now s the time to start thinking about helping obtain items for the live and silent auction. Remember the success of our auction will be a direct result of our families securing items to be auctioned off that night. Help us secure auction items today! Contact a donor today, and then complete an Item Acquisition Sheet (available at the school office). or call us we ll send copies home with your child. And, thanks for your support HOLIDAY SCRIP ORDERS...I m sure you ve already started your Christmas shopping! Have you been using Scrip Cards purchased from St. Paul Academy? Remember, Great Lakes Scrip cards are just like cash St. Paul Academy restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and other retail establishments. The monthly Family Order Form is available online or is attached to the but so much more, because a %age of your purchase stays right here at St. Paul as profit for our PTLS. And, Scrip is available for over 200 local shops, School Code is: 1ALL427B37414 newsletter for your easy download. All orders returned to the office by 8:00 AM Tuesday morning, Dec. 6 th will be delivered by Friday, Dec. 9 th. Discover the ease and convenience of shopping with Scrip and turn in your order form every Tuesday or order over the internet by visiting ShopWithScrip.com using the school code. Saints Hot Lunch Menu Week of Dec. 5-9 Monday Macho Nacho w/cheese sauce, Baked Tostito Scoops, Brown Rice, Refried Beans, Lettuce & Tomatoes Tuesday Domino s Pizza, Cucumbers, Ranch Dressings, Cookie Wednesday Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potatoes w/brown gravy, Green Beans, Sliced Bread Thursday Turkey Sandwich, Lettuce/Tomatoes/Pickles, Baby Carrots, Sun Chips Friday Spaghetti w/meatballs, Broccoli, Dinner Roll All meals are served with fruit and a carton of 1% white or chocolate milk Ticket prices: K-8 students $3.25 per meal and 35 per extra milk (limit 2) (meals can be purchased on a daily basis by placing funds on your Fast Direct lunch account three I.O.U. lunch limit) CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON... Parents, you are invited to join the students for a special Christmas Luncheon on Monday, Dec. 19 th at 11:30 AM (immediately folowing the Favorite Carol Chapel) in the cafetorium. Our menu will consist of ham and turkey with all the Christmas trimmings! Watch for the Luncheon Reservations Sheet coming home next week; but plan now to join us for this special pre-christmas treat! CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY...Mark your calendars and plan to join us for our special All-School Christmas Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th at 8:30 AM in the gym. Parents, we invite you to come join us as we enjoy the fun of singing traditional Christmas carols and watch various groups share holiday performances to kick off our special day before Christmas vacation.

4 CHRISTMAS DRESS DAY...Do you have a special Christmas t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, scarf, or other Christmas attire that you re just dying to wear? Or maybe you would just like to get into the holiday spirit by wearing red & green Christmas colors. If so, wear them to school on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th for Christmas Dress Day. Help us add to the merriment of our special half-day of Christmas activities! Plan now to participate in our Merry Christmas Dress Day fun! FAVORITE CAROL CHAPEL...Join us for our Favorite Carol Chapel Service on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th at 11:00 PM. Come usher in Christmas with us through the words of our favorite Christmas carols as chosen by the students. Parents and younger siblings are invited to attend this special chapel service, too. BOX TOPS NEWS...Have you finished filling your November Thanksgiving box tops collection sheet yet? The new December collection sheet were sent home before Thanksgiving. See if you can collect all 25 box tops before Christmas Vacation. Remember, each box top is worth 10 for our Saints kids. Thanks for your support of our Easy Fund Raisers General Mills Box Tops for Education program. EARLY DISMISSAL...Classes will be dismissed for Christmas vacation immediately following lunch at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 20 st. Parents, please make arrangements to pick up your children no later 1:00 PM as there will be no After-School Extended Care that day. BASKETBALL NEWS...The Saints Boys basketball team started the month of December with a tough loss last night to the Calvary Christian team. During the next two weeks, the team see action as follows: Tues. (12/06) vs. St. 4:30 PM Mon. (12/12) vs. 4:30 PM Thurs. (12/15) at 4:30 PM Plan to come cheer for our Saints teams throughout the season! STOCKTHE CART...During December, we re once again collecting PEANUT BUTTER for our Stock the Cart collection. Remember, our Stock the Cart and Backpacks of Love programs provide weekend meals to local children who are less fortunate than ourselves and share the love of Jesus with them! Remember to bring your donation of peanut butter next week for our Stock the Cart collection. Thanks for participating!

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