The mission of Holy Spirit School is to provide an education strongly rooted in Catholic values, reflecting each student s unique qualities and promoting excellence in the whole person. HOLY SPIRIT TIGER TALK NEWSLETTER August 11, 2017 Volume 23, Issue 1 Our vision is to challenge students to be faith-filled individuals as they discover and utilize their gifts and talents through academic success and service to others. We have had a wonderful start to the school year and we are blessed indeed! Thank you for choosing Holy Spirit Regional Catholic School for your child(ren). It s hard to believe that we have already completed 3 ½ weeks of school. Update: Our new chiller is being set into place this weekend and Monday it will be up and running. We have been fortunate that the temperature outside has not been as hot as it could have been given the time of year and that our other chiller managed to make it this far. Thanks for everyone that came out to our Open House. It s always so nice to see everyone. It was fun to watch those who had the opportunity to stay and play. Our parents (and faculty/staff) really are children at heart. Tonight we are having a session for new parents (all parents are welcome new or experienced) to an open discussion on topics that might help make the transition easier. The purpose is to make this transition into a new school stress-free. It s a great time to meet other parents and to learn more about who we are, what we are about, why we do what we do, and how we do things. Please join us tonight if you can; additional meeting will be announced soon. It was very impressive to see our 7 th and 8 th graders in their oxford shirts (and ties for the boys) at our first all-school Mass. We look forward to Mass this Friday with Ms. Dunn s 7 th grade religion class taking the active role. We welcome all parents to join us as we celebrate. 1
Don t forget to mark your calendar for September 14 th and 15 th. September 14 th is a 1:00 dismissal and the 15 th is a no school day. Teachers will have professional development with the diocese on Friday. On Monday, September 18 th we will host our Patriotic Program 8:30-10:00am. Don t forget to rsvp if you re a veteran; we d love to have you share this day with us (all are welcome). Already in the halls we are hearing the branch songs echoing as our students prepare to celebrate our service men and women. Our Experience and Explore Science lab for K-4 will start classes very soon. Don t forget if you have any paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls or empty cereal boxes (still formed) please bring those to the front office. We will use those in the science lab. Thank you to the many families who have gone the extra mile to volunteer and for those who were able to picked up extra items for the classrooms (including a document camera just purchased to aide a teacher in her instruction). Your time, talent and treasure are appreciated. We greatly appreciate the prayers you offer for our school, our students and the faculty/staff. We hope everyone enjoyed the solar eclipse event. Thank you for working with us to provide the safest environment for our students. We enjoyed sharing this experience with our students. Have a GRRRRRRReat week. Check out our Teacher of the Week spotlight Senora Alonso. The talent and expertise of our teachers is outstanding which makes Holy Spirit an incredible school. 2
IMPORTANT DATES AUGUST 24th 5/6 Grade Mass 7:30am 6th 12th 14th 15th SEPTEMBER Class and Make Up Picture Day Spirit Night at 5 Guys Burger & Fries 1pm Dismissal. Teacher Professional Day Teacher In-Service. No school for children **If you would like to add something to Tiger Talk, please submit your request to admin@hstigers.org by 10am on Tuesdays. Please make the announcement in Calibri 12pt font and attachments in.pdf format (Adobe). All requests are subject to Mrs. Mattingly s approval. 3
Patriotic Program In observance of Constitution Day, Holy Spirit Regional Catholic School along with the Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a Salute Our Veterans assembly on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017. The festivities will begin at 8:30 in the school gymnasium. All Veterans are invited to honored. Please see attached RSVP for the Patriotic Program, deadline to RSVP is Tues., Sept. 5th. Please contact Cathy Jodon cjodon@hstigers.org if you have any questions. We value our Veterans and look forward to meeting you! *Please see attached RSVP card* Spirit Wear Fundraiser Order Deadline is Friday, Aug 25 The Fan Cloth Spirit Wear opportunity is down to the wire. Check out the great clothing offered this year for the first time The 7 th grade is 171 items away from meeting their fundraising goal (https:// order.fancloth.com/35802/282889). Once this sale closes, items are no longer available for purchase later in the school year. While some families are fortunate financially others rely on fundraisers such as this to help offset costs and give a student the opportunity of a lifetime. Even the smallest purchase helps. Please support the 7 th Grade and their quest to raise funds to support their trip to Dauphin Island! 4
TEACHER OF THE WEEK Mrs. Marilyn Alonso Spanish Teacher Mrs. Alonso was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in Miami, Florida. She received her Bachelor in Management with a double major in International Business from Florida International University (FIU) in 1987 and received her Teacher Certification from Athens State University. Mrs. Alonso and her family moved to Huntsville, Alabama in 1997 and she has been teaching Spanish at Holy Spirit School since 2009. She loves her job at Holy Spirit because it's like her home away from home. She is married and has three wonderful children that have all attended Holy Spirit School and St. John Paul II Catholic High School. Mrs. Alonso enjoys spending time with her family, taking pictures, making rosaries to donate to charity, and making photo books. Faith is also very important to Mrs. Alonso. 5
CARNIVAL SAVE THE DATE for the 2017 CARNIVAL!! The Carnival will be Saturday, October 21 st from 11-3. We are working on lots of fun attractions! Ticket flyers will go home with the students in October. We will also be asking for volunteers to help with short shifts during the event. Sign up for volunteers will be online and the link will be sent out in early October. If anyone would like to volunteer to help organize the cake walk or the book walk please contact Caroline (caroline.garnett@gmail.com) and Rebecca (rebecca@rebeccalowrey.com). Please be a Super Hero and turn in your Box Tops to your Homeroom Teacher. It s as simple as 123= Buy, Clip and Send to Earn Cash for our School. All students need to do is send in baggies full of box tops, including their 1. Name 2. Grade 3. Teacher THE GRADE WITH THE MOST BOX TOPS WINS (PRIZE TO TBA) Profits go towards projects such as, our newly developed and highly-sought-after fresh Playground!!! Parents/Students: ***Please do not forget to check expiration dates. EXPIRED BOX TOPS WILL NOT BE COUNTED! If you want to earn even more, AUGUST, is the time: Earn more than 150 Bonus Box Tops in August with the Box Tops Bonus App! Please visit BTFE.com/BonusApp for more details! 6
We need coaches for boys and girls basketball teams. Basketball sign-up will open Sept. 1st and end Sept. 15th. We will start practices around Oct 20th and games will begin late November. Looking ahead, we also need a Track Coach for the Spring session. If you are interested in coaching, contact Coach Mumaugh at jmumaugh@hstigers.org as soon as possible. All coaches must have Youth Protection 1 and Youth Protection 2 as well as a completed background check form. Thank you for all you do! 7
Join Cub Scouting! Cub Scouting is fun! No matter what grade you are in, K through 5th, it can be a blast. Do you like to learn by doing? This is just the place. You can learn to tie knots, set up a tent, or shoot a bow and arrow. Have you ever cooked a meal on a campfire? Sent a secret code to a buddy? Built a birdhouse? Gone hiking? Earn rewards for doing these things in Cub Scouts! If your son is interested in joining Cub Scouts at Holy Spirit, you can contact the Cubmaster, Mr. Eric Davis (eric.f.davis@gmail.com) or the Pack Committee Chair, Mr. Chris Brightwell (chris.brightwell@gmail.com). You can also visit us online at http://hspack361.com/ American Heritage Girls Kick-off American Heritage Girls Troop AL7361 is having our kick-off on Sunday, August 27th from 2-4 pm, in the Holy Spirit School's Auditorium. Parents can come sit on an informational session while the girls experience all the fun of AHG! AHG is a Christ-centered scouting program for girls ages 5-18. Come check out our troop! For more information contact Ava Joly, avajoly@hotmail.com. 8
St. Teresa Mothers Group Holy Spirit is starting a mothers group! This is a group for mothers at all stages. With the four major Sts. Teresa as our guides, we will focus on prayer, study, community, and service. Our goal is to give mothers a space to work on their personal spiritual development and find support as they travel in their vocation. Nursery will be provided. We will meet once a week from 9:30AM-11:00AM with a possible weekly evening/weekend meeting for those who can t make it in the mornings. Day of the week for the morning group will be either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, dependent on nursery availability. We re trying to get a head count of children needing nursery so we can have the right number of workers. If interested in either the morning group or in being part of an evening/weekend group, please contact Johanna Wilson at st.teresa.holyspirit@gmail.com. Lighthouse Catholic Media: Have you ever been asked Catholic questions at work, on the ball field, or at family gatherings? Have you ever been asked the reasons why Catholics do this or that or why Catholics believe what they believe? Most of us have been taught what we believe as Catholics, but we have trouble explaining why we believe it. Have you ever had trouble finding Catholic doctrine in the pages of Scripture? Would you like to be able to help your children embrace the Catholic Faith? Lighthouse Catholic Media was developed to do all of these things and more. By listening to Lighthouse CD s, Catholics learn the faith well and are able to explain the reasons that we believe as we do. Catholics who avail of Lighthouse books, CD s, and booklets rejoice in their Catholic faith and are able to evangelize others leading them into the Church. If you have never listened to a Lighthouse Catholic CD, try one today! The Lighthouse display is located just inside the front doors of the church. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults RCIA If you are interested in becoming Catholic please contact the Office of Religious Education and speak with Tracy Finke our Director 256-881-0345 or email tfinke@holyspirithsv.com Parish Ministry Fair August 19 th and 20 th in the Parish Hall: The Ministry Fair will take place the weekend of August 19 th and 20 th after each Mass. Please come to the Parish Hall to view the many different Ministries that our Parish has to offer. Get involved and share your gifts and talents with the parish. You will be amazed at all of the Ministries we have to offer you and your children. This is where your children can sign up to be Altar Servers and get involved in Youth Group. This is where you sign up for Religious Education Classes for children and adults alike. Come join one of our choirs, become an usher, help feed the poor, or join the Knights of Columbus. We have something to offer every person. People who get involved in their parish become dynamic and engaged Catholics. Our world needs more dynamic Catholics. All of the positions for unengaged Catholics have been filled. So come get involved in your Parish! We need your gifts and talents. Let them shine before the Lord. Adult Education Classes to be Offered this Fall: Holy Spirit Church will be offering a variety of Adult Education Classes for you to choose from this fall. You will find each of them to be of excellent quality. Increase your knowledge of the faith and of the Bible by taking a class. Registration for these classes will take place at the Parish Ministry Fair the weekend of August 19 th and 20 th after each Mass in the Parish Hall. (If you cannot make it to the Ministry Fair, please register by emailing Tracy Finke our Director of Religious Education at tfinke@holyspirithsv.com 9
Adult Education Class Choices Thursday Night Adult Bible Study with Dr. Ken Muenstermann! Join us in the church on Thursday nights starting on September 7 th at 6:30 pm for an in-depth and passionately Catholic Bible Study taught by Dr. Ken Muenstermann. Ken will be teaching the Book of Joshua this year. Ken has a unique ability to teach Catholic doctrine and morality straight from the pages of Scripture. The Bible comes to life when Ken teaches it and his passion for Scripture is very contagious. This class is available to everyone. All are welcome! If you did not take the previous classes, no worries! Come study Joshua with us and you will love it! Sunday Class Choices: #1 Jesus Revealed (offered on Sundays from 10:15-11:30 am starting on September 17 th ): Join Dr. Paul Thigpen as he dives deep into Scripture from Genesis to Revelation to illuminate the many names of Jesus in Scripture and explain how each one reveals something new about Our Lord. Jesus Revealed, a new 18-part program, is like no other Catholic Scripture Study. Jesus Revealed is an engrossing exegesis of the entire Bible, focusing on the typologies of Jesus through 18 of his unique names. Fr. Jeffrey Kirby provides profound and practical spiritual insight to help apply what you ve learned to your own spiritual life. Throughout this 18-week biblical study from Saint Benedict Press and Catholic Scripture Study International, you will: Deepen your knowledge through expert Biblical exegesis on the person of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation Receive an in-depth study of the typology of Christ in Scripture that will help you understand him more clearly Examine of more than 750 Scripture passages that will broaden your knowledge of and deepen your love for Our Lord. See how the Gospel witness spread outward in waves, from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. The cost of this class is $40.00 for your full-color Study Guide. This class begins on Sunday, September 17 th. You can sign up for this class at the Ministry Fair the weekend of August 19 th and 20 th or by emailing Tracy Finke our Director of Religious Education at tfinke@holyspirithsv.com #2 Queen of Heaven (offered on Sundays from 10:15-11:30 am starting on September 17 th ): Never before has the story of Our Lady been told like this. Be part of the incredible journey that begins before time itself, when Mary was only an Eternal Thought in the Mind of God, to her time on earth when she raised our Savior, to the unfolding of her role in the early Church, to the days when she made roses bloom on the hillsides of Mexico and a miraculous spring of water rise from the ground in Lourdes, to the day she made the sun dance at Fatima, and to today. Come discover: Mary s life in scripture and her role in God s plan of salvation Why Jesus gives us Mary as our own mother, why he crowned her Queen of Heaven, and what that means for us Mary s significant role after her earthly life in bringing souls to her Son and battling Satan in the world How Mary is still active in our lives today, leading us to Jesus 10
The cost is $25.00 for your full color class materials. Make all checks payable to Holy Spirit Church. This class is 8 to 16 Sessions in length. This class begins on Sunday September 17 th. You can sign up for this class at the Ministry Fair the weekend of August 19 th and 20 th or by emailing Tracy Finke our Director of Religious Education at tfinke@holyspirithsv.com #3 The Early Church EPIC Part II (offered on Sundays from 10:15-11:30 am starting on September 17 th ): Through this study on the Early Church, you are invited to discover beyond any doubt that the early Christian Church was indeed Catholic. Discover the major people, places, and events of the first 500 years of Church history Recognize that the early Christian Church truly was the Catholic Church Gain a greater understanding of the teachings and dogmas of the Catholic Faith and meet those who gave their lives to define and defend them Discover that many of the challenges facing the Church today are the same ones boldly confronted by the Early Church Fathers Learn how the heroic stories of the saints can challenge and affirm your own walk of faith...and much more! The cost of this class is $25.00 for your study set which includes the workbook, Timeline chart, and bookmark. This class begins on Sunday September 17 th. You can sign up for this class at the Ministry Fair the weekend of August 19 th and 20 th or by emailing Tracy Finke our Director of Religious Education at tfinke@holyspirithsv.com Adult Teachers Needed for Sunday Religious Education Classes this Fall We are in need of a Teacher for grade 4. We are also in need of Assistant Teachers in grades 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. We also need help in our High School T-Squared program helping to teach the High School students. Please contact Tracy Finke by emailing tfinke@holyspirithsv.com or by calling the Religious Education Office at 256-881-0345. Adult Teachers Needed for Children s Liturgy of the Word. During the school year at the 9 o clock Mass we offer Children s Liturgy of the Word. We take children out and conduct an age appropriate Liturgy of the Word just for them. Parents really like this program because they have the opportunity to listen to the readings and homily without distraction. We are in need of adults who would like to help with this program. Typically adults only serve once per month. Please contact Tracy Finke if you can help. -- Tracy Finke DRE Holy Spirit Church 625 Airport Road SW Huntsville, AL 35802 256-881-0345 11