St. Paul Academy 1920 E. Washington Ave. Harlingen, Texas 78550 Office Phone 956-423-3926 Check us out on the Internet at www.stpaultexas.com or www.fastdir.com/stpaultexas February 13, 2015 2014-15 School Year Theme Fruit of the Spirit God s Recipe for Life Galatians 5:22-23 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Today Distribution of Mid-Quarter Progress Reports PSIA practices 4:00 PM Feb. 18 School Chapel Service 8:20 AM Feb. 20 PSIA Pre-Competition Meeting 4:00 PM Feb. 21 PSIA Competition in Pharr Feb. 28 & Mar. 1 Students Ring & Sing for Worship Services Mar. 2-6 National Lutheran Schools Week Mar. 6 Spring School Picture Day ICE Gala Auction Preview 6:00-8:00 PM Mar. 7 ICE Gala Dinner & Auction Mar. 16-20 Spring Break Week From the Principal s Desk... France has long been known for its painters, especially the impressionists who tried to show the changing effects of light. From Leonardo da Vinci to Pablo Picasso, France has been a favorite country of artists wishing to express themselves freely. If you were to visit Paris today, you would see painters with pallets and brushes selling their works on the street. God our Heavenly Father has painted a few pictures, too. Through His Word, He has painted for us a picture of His Son Jesus Christ. On the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-8), we see a picture of Christ s glory. There Jesus appearance changed, and He became bright as the sun. God also reveals to us at the Transfiguration another side of our Savior as the disciples listened and watched Him talk with Moses and Elijah. We learn of His upcoming death and resurrection. We see another picture when we view Jesus on the cross; the crown of thorns pressed upon His head, blood streaming down His face, hands and feet pierced with nails, beaten, disgraced, and forsaken by not only His friends but also by His Heavenly Father. This picture shows us a picture of our Lord s humiliation because of our sins. Yet, three days after His death, we see another picture. This picture shows us the Lord exalted, appearing in His glorified body and demonstrating His power over sin, death, and Satan. It also shows us a God of peace who responds to the fearful Thomas, Stop doubting and believe (John 20:24-31). And, a final picture of Christ is shown as He ascends into heaven to prepare a place for us, promising to be with us always, and giving us the assurance that He will return to take all who believe unto Himself for all eternity. Prayer Walk Families for the week of Feb. 14-20 Dayanna Navarro Amaris Ruiz Bert Ruiz Claris Ruiz Sunday is Transfiguration Sunday and next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. During the season of Lent, let us reflect upon all the pictures of Christ s love painted for us by our loving Father in heaven, and give thanks to our gracious God for revealing them to us through His Holy Word. In Christ s Service, James L. House, Principal
HAPPY VALENTINE S DAY...from the Faculty and staff of St. Paul Academy. Our hope is that as you celebrate this special day of love tomorrow, Feb. 14 th, you remember the GREATEST LOVER of all, our Savior Jesus Christ! Share the words of John 15:13 with others Greater love has no one than this, that he (Jesus) lay down his life for his friends (you and me). MID-QUARTER REPORTS...To help keep parents informed of their students 3 rd quarter progress to date, Mid-Quarter Progress Reports are now available on Fast Direct for all students in Grades K-8. A hard copy of the report is being sent home today, Feb. 13 th to any student whose subject grades are not passing. Parents, please review your child s progress report. If you have any questions concerning your child s midquarter progress, please make an appointment with the teacher. We appreciate your partnership with us as we educate your child. RE-ENROLLMENT WRAP-UP...Thank you to all the St. Paul families who turned in their re-enrollment forms by last Friday s deadline. As of this writing, we have 68 students re-enrolled for the 2015-16 school year. That s fantastic! Hopefully, you are one of those families. If you did not return your Re-Enrollment Form by the Jan. 31 st deadline, a 2 nd form was sent home last week. Please complete and return this form to the school office immediately! Remember, we need to know your plans so that staffing decisions can be made for the next school year. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated! NEW ENROLLMENTS...Applications are now available for new families who wish to enroll for the first time at St. Paul Academy in the 2015-16 school year. Several individuals have already completed applications for children in the Pre- Kindergarten class, and new families have toured and expressed interest in enrollment in the other grades. If you have a friend, relative, or neighbor who desires a quality, Christian education for their child, pass this word along and encourage them to enroll at St. Paul Academy. HELP US RECRUIT...The old adage, The best salesmen are satisfied customers, rings true when it comes to recruiting new students and families for our school. As an incentive for you to help us recruit new families, we are offering a "Tell-a-Friend" Referral Discount. By referring a new student to SPA, you will receive $200 off your 2015-16 tuition (once they enroll). Tell a friend, neighbor, relatives, or co-worker about St. Paul Academy for their children. Help us recruit and earn your discount today! SPECIAL CHAPEL SERVICE...Next Wednesday, February 18 th, is Ash Wednesday. Traditionally, Christians throughout the world mark the beginning of the Season of Lent on this day with special worship services and the practice of imposing ashes on their foreheads as an outward sign of repentance. The SPA students will participate in the "Imposition of Ashes" during our special Ash Wednesday Chapel Service on February 18 th at 8:20 PM at the church. Look for the special flyer coming home today that answers some common questions about Ash Wednesday and the Imposition of Ashes. Parents, we invite you to join us that morning for this special service. LENTEN SERVICES...Did you know that the season of Lent is one in which we begin to focus on the reason Christ came to earth to redeem us from eternal death by dying for our sins on the cross? And, did you know that many Christians have traditionally met on Wednesdays during Lent to worship and reflect upon this truth? St. Paul Lutheran Church will be holding weekly Lenten services on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM preceded by a Soup Supper at 6:00 PM. Consider joining the St. Paul Lutheran family for these weekly worship opportunities throughout the Lenten season. FAMILY MATTERS... Accompanying today s newsletter is the latest copy of Family Matters, a resource for Christian parents in the 21 st Century made available to us from the School Ministry offices of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in St. Louis. This month s topic is Learning to Forgive. This article highlights the story of Joseph and his brothers and the lesson of forgiving even when it s hard to forgive. We encourage all parents to read and discuss it with your spouse & friends. CHAPEL OFFERING PROJECT Our 3 rd quarter chapel offerings are going to support Lutheran Hour Ministries Latvia Project. This week s offering totaled $111.69 for a total collection of $508.96 to date for this project. Our hope is to collect $600 by March 13 th in support of this important ministry that shares God s Word and spiritual care with the Latvian people. Keep using your milk carton banks as a reminder and bring your chapel offerings every Wednesday for LHM Latvia.
ICE GALA AUCTION TICKETS...The inaugural St. Paul ICE Gala Dinner & Auction is only 3 short weeks away Saturday, March 7 th with Auction Preview on Fri., Mar. 6 th. The theme for this year s auction is A Night at the Academy. TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE at the school office during the week but they re going fast, less than 60 tickets left at this writing. Help us spread the word around town talk to your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, and purchase tickets next week. Ticket prices are only $50 each; or purchase a reserved group table (for 8 friends) for $500, or a corporate sponsorship for $1000. Remember, seating will be limited to 250 persons don t miss out, purchase your tickets right away! FREE CHILD CARE...What s that? You d like to attend the ICE Gala Dinner & Auction but child care is a problem? Well, good news! We re providing free child care at St. Paul for all parents attending the auction on March 7 th. In addition to care provided by our Great Beginnings staff, we ll also feed the kids pizza for supper. Wow! What a deal! Please let us know that you desire child care for your kids when you purchase your ICE Gala tickets. But, let us know soon so we can plan appropriately. SNEAK PREVIEW...We have some great items available for you to bid on at our upcoming ICE Gala Auction. Here s this week s sneak preview of some of the items to whet your bidding appetite: Weekend Fishing Lodge for 16 persons in Port Mansfield 5 day/4 night time share at Kissimmee. FL (DisneyWorld/Universal) Little D s Birthday Party Rental (4-hr package for up to 40+) GoPro Camera Hero 3 & accessories Best Seats in the House for Christmas Service and Spring Musical Round of Golf for 4 w/cart @ Rancho Viejo Country Club classroom projects and baskets local restaurant certificates..and, Much, Much more! Check out the whole list of auction items on the St. Paul webpage. Let your friends know about our auction, too or better yet, invite them to attend with you! KEEP SCRIP IN MIND...Hey, St. Paul families! Did you show your valentine some love by purchasing a Scrip gift card this year? If not, make it up to them by purchasing Scrip next week. Remember, every Scrip card purchase benefits your students and our school. February Family Order Forms are available at the school office, St. Paul Academy and we also keep a supply of select Scrip cards (currently we have HEB and WalMart cards) on hand at the school office for immediate sale. Simply stop by during office hours and purchase what you need. And, as always, you can order Scrip cards online by visiting ShopWithScrip.com using the school code. Purchase your Scrip today! School Code is: 1ALL427B37414 Saints Hot Lunch Menu Week of Feb. 16-20 Monday Cheeseburger on bun, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, Chips Tuesday Domino s Pizza, Baby Carrots, Ranch Dressing, Chips Wednesday Cheese Enchiladas, Brown Rice, Refried Beans, Crackers Thursday BBQ Chicken, Brown Rice, Cucumbers, Bread Friday Fun Sea Creatures, Mashed Potatoes w/brown gravy, bread 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) PSIA COMPETITION...The St. Paul students have been working hard to prepare for the Private School Interscholastic Association (PSIA) competition next Saturday, February 21 st at Oratory School in Pharr. Final practices are being held today and next week. In final preparation for competition, we will hold a MADATORY PRE-COMPETITION MEETING of all student participants and parent volunteers next Friday, Feb. 20 th at 4:00 PM in library. Both parents and students must attend! Competition information packets, maps to the site, etc. will be distributed at this important meeting. Everyone involved with this year s PSIA event should mark their calendars and plan to attend! PARKING PROBLEM...Parents, here s just a quick reminder the Circle Drive is for pick-up and drop-off only both morning and afternoon! It is not intended as a quick place to park! Please help eliminate the confusion, congestion, and keep our kids safe by not parking or leaving your vehicle unattended in the Circle Drive. If you wish to come in with your child, please park in the designated spots. Thanks.
NATIONAL LUTHERAN SCHOOLS WEEK...will be celebrated the week of March 1-7. Our students, staff, and families will join with over 274,000 students attending over 2,255 Lutheran schools & preschools across America in this special celebration under the theme, Standing in Christ, Serving Others Mercy Forever based on Mark 10:45. We hope that you ll join us in giving thanks and celebrating the many blessings received through our Lutheran school. Watch for the 2015 NLSW flyer attached coming home with the newsletter soon it outlines the special activities planned for our St. Paul students fun! Plan to celebrate with us as we stand in Christ and serve others. STUDENTS TO SING & RING...Parents, take note and mark your calendars now We will kick-off our celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week by involving all the students in PK thru 8 th Grade in the Sing & Ring at our Worship Services on Saturday, Feb. 28 th and Sunday, March 1 st. The Sing & Ring schedule is as follows: Saturday 5:30 PM All students in Kindergarten, Grades 1 & 2 Sunday 8:00 AM Grades 3-8 Students whose last names begin with M-Z Sunday 10:30 AM Grades 3-8 Students whose last names begin with A-L Plan now to join us as we praise our God and thank Him for the blessing of our Lutheran school through our musical talents. RECYCLNG NEWS...The Harlingen Recycling Center emptied our collection containers on Wednesday, so we ve got empty containers to receive your recyclable next week! Keep bringing those recyclable plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper, and ink cartridges, old cell phones, and other electronics for our recycling efforts at St. Paul Academy. The recycling bins for paper, bottles, and cans are located inside the courtyard fence (near the cafetorium door). Ink cartridges and electronics can be dropped off at the collection box outside the school office. Help keep our environment clean and earn a little cash for SPA, too! Start saving your recyclables today and recycle weekly for St. Paul Academy. WINTER SPORTS...Despite the cancellation of our winter Soccer season, we re still trying to give St. Paul students opportunities for athletic and fitness activity during February & March. Next week s schedule looks like this (all activities are held 4:00-5:00 PM): Monday Trac, and Tuesday Softball. In addition, we re planning softball and track for April and May. We will have a VISA Softball Tournament on April 11 th. The annual VISA Track Meet is scheduled for May 1 st ; and we re looking into entering some upper grade students in additional track meets. It is too early to start full practices for these sports, but watch for information coming soon about when practices will begin. STOCK THE CART...During the month of February, we re collecting Canned Pastas (Spaghetti-O s, etc.) for the Harlingen Area Food Pantry as part of our Stock the Cart program. Remember to bring your donations to the Stock the Cart shopping cart located in the cafetorium. Thanks for your support. BOX TOPS NEWS...Hey, St. Paul families! Keep saving those Box Tops for Education for St. Paul Academy in February. Additional February collection sheets are available at the school office. Remember, each box top is worth 10 for our St. Paul kids. Encourage your relatives and friends to save for St. Paul, too. Thanks in advance for your support of our Easy Fund Raisers General Mills Box Tops for Education program in 2015.