St. Margaret School 736 Farmer Street Otsego, Michigan 49078-1432 269-694-2951 Fax: 269-694-4520 Email: www.stmargaretschool.net Mission Statement St. Margaret School will provide a firm educational foundation of religious values and academic knowledge for each student in a Catholic nurturing environment. Volume 6, Issue 15 PRINCIPAL NEWSLETTER November 27, 2017 Dear Jesus, Give me a thankful heart, realizing that all I have comes from You.. Dear Parents and Guardians, I hope that all of you had a relaxing, fun, and blessed Thanksgiving with your families! I missed the students, and glad they are back this week. December will fly by. Please look carefully at the calendar of important days at the end of this newsletter. Our families have always been very generous in responding to our requests for items needed to support and continue the quality programs we have in place. If you can help out with any of the following items we have provided for lunch each day, it would be appreciated very much: Country Time Lemonade 8-9 oz. cups; napkins; plastic spoons, and plastic forks. We would also accept gift cards to use to purchase these items. Thank you in advance for your generosity. SPELLING BEE Our annual spelling bee will be held on this Wednesday, November 29 th at 2:45 PM in the school gym. Parents are welcome to join us! FEAST OF THE IMMACULTE CONCEPTION There will be a mass at 9 AM on Friday, December 8 th, the Feast of The Immaculate Conception. Our Living Rosary will be held on Thursday, December 7 th at 9 AM in the school gym. BOXTOPS We are still collecting Boxtops and Labels for Education. You can deposit your label in the container that is in the main hallway o f our school. You would be surprised at how much money we earn just through your these donations. Last year, we received checks totaling over $1000.00!! We use this money to pay for student programs to benefit every child!
ST. NICHOLAS DAY Please join Bishop Bradley on December 2 nd to celebrate St. Nicholas Day. There will be crafts cookie decorating, and Bishop Bradley will read the story of St. Nicholas to the children. 3-5 PM at the Crowley Cathedral Center, St. Augustine, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In the spirit of the season, families are asked to bring mittens, socks, and toiletries to benefit the Ark Shelter for Youth, or non-perishable food to benefit the Food Pantry. For more information, visit www.diokzoo.org or contact Annette Brennan at abrennan@diokzoo.org or 269.903.0126. BASKETBALL COME AND SUPPORT YOUR TITAN s BAKETBALL TEAM! Our first home basketball game will be held here in St. Margaret School gym on December 7 th at 5:00 PM. Come and cheer our team to victory!! INCLEMENT WEATHER If Otsego Public Schools close, or are delayed because of inclement weather, St. Margaret School will also close or delay school. Remember, that on Wednesdays throughout the school year, Otsego Public Schools have a late start, so they would not necessarily be announcing any delays unless it was late morning. If there is a two-hour delay because of fog or ice, school doors will open at 10:15 AM and school will start at 10:25 AM with dismissal at the usual time. School closures and delays are posted to local TV stations: WKZO Channel 3, WOOD TV Channel 8, and WZZM Channel 13. In addition, we send out a Honeywell Alert informing parents of the School closure or delay. This is why it is so important that we have the telephone contact for all parents, and anyone else that transport your children to and from school. The weather will continue to get colder, so please remember that students go out for recess, even when it is snowing, unless the temperature is too low. Students should dress for the weather: a warm coat, hat and gloves. VOLUNTEERS If it has been five years or more since you completed an authorization to have an ichat done, I will be contacting you to complete and update a new form. Remember, you need to not only complete the authorization form for a criminal history background check, but you also need to register and attend a Protecting God s Children training session, These sessions are listed in my weekly newsletters, and also at the Kalamazoo Diocese website. I would be happy to help anyone just contact me. All parents wishing to volunteer in our school, or chaperone/drive for a field trip, MUST complete a Protecting God s Children training session, and complete an Authorization Form to have a criminal history check completed through ichat (Michigan State Police.) In each Principal Newsletter throughout the year, a schedule of local training sessions will be included. For information, please visit the following link to register: https://www.virtusonline.org/virtus/reg_list.cfm?theme=0 St. Joseph Elementary School (Battle Creek) 47 N. 3 rd St. Tues Nov. 28, 2017 6 PM Immaculate Conception School (Three Rivers) 601 S. Douglas Tues. Dec. 5, 6:30 PM POPE S INTENTIONS for NOVEMBER Christians in Asia That Christians in Asia, bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions.
IMPORTANT DATES November 28 LCAB Mtg. 7 PM in McGuire Room December 6 St. Nicholas Feast Day 7 Living Rosary 9AM in school gym; first Titan s Basketball Game, 7 PM (Home) 8 Feast of Immaculate Conception, Mass at 9 AM 12 Progress Report Cards go home 20 Christmas Program 6:30 PM in school gym 21 PS 3 s Christmas Party; Christmas Bazaar (tentative); No Otsego bus today 22 PS 4 s & Elementary Christmas Parties; Feed our Friends-Casual Day; No Otsego bus today 12/25-1/2 Christmas Vacation 1/3 School Resumes God Bless. Jan M. Hall jhall@stmargareetschool.net 269-694-2951
Family Virtue Calendar St. Margaret School Disciples of Christ, Education In Virtue Virtue for November--GRATITUDE Meaning: Thankful disposition of mind and heart. Opposing trait: Not expressing appreciation; taking other people and things for granted. Prayer to memorize: Dear Jesus, Give me a thankful heart, realizing that all I have comes from You. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 6 Scripture: Psalm 9:1 7 Read about St. Josephine Bakhita 1 Which saint served as a porter, or doorkeeper for most of his life? 8 Scripture: Luke 1: 46-55 2 Read about Solanus Casey. 9 Read about St. Mary Magdalene. 3 What can you do today to show gratitude? 10 Write a thank you note to thank someone. 13 Scripture: Luke 17:11-19 14 Read about St. Augustine. 15 Which saint wiped the face of Jesus? 16 Which saint became a Doctor of the Church? 17 Scripture: Luke 21:1-4 20 Scripture: Luke 22:14-20 21 Which saint worked in Detroit, Michigan? 22 Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7 23 Scripture: 1Thessalonians 5:18 24 Which saint said, Thank God ahead of time? 25 Which saint was born in Sudan? 26 Which saint was born to a pagan father and Christian mother? 27 Who will be beatified in Detroit on Nov. 18 th, 2017? 28 Which saint was at the foot of the cross? 29 Which saint was the first to discover that Jesus had risen? MISSION STATEMENT: St. Margaret School will provide a firm educational foundation of religious values and academic knowledge for each student in a Catholic, nurturing environment. SAINT NAME BIRTH FEAST DAY Blessed Solanus Casey 1870-1957 July 30 th St.Josephine Bakhita 1869-1947 February 8th St. Mary Magdalene 1 st Century July 22nd St.Augustine 354-430 August 28 th