A Newsletter to Parents and Guardians December 8, 2016 Dear Parents and Guardians, On this coming Sunday, our Church will observe Gaudete (Gow-day-tay) Sunday. Attendees at Mass will observe the rose colored vestments worn by the priest, the rose candle lit on the Advent wreath and other rose colored items in the sanctuary of our churches. Gaudete is a Latin term that means rejoice. Gaudete Sunday is the Church s way to tell us to Rejoice! because the Lord is near. In the Introit of the Mass, we pray, Gaudete in Domino semper. (Rejoice in the Lord, always!) Our Advent journey is coming to a close. Let us work and pray together as we conclude our Advent Season. Let us rejoice together as we realize that the Lord is nigh. Happy Gaudete Sunday! CHRISTMAS PROGRAM The annual Christmas concert is TONIGHT! STUDENTS SHOULD REPORT TO THEIR HOMEROOM TEACHER AT 6:00 P.M. Tonight at the Christmas Program, the doors to the cafeteria and gymnasium will open at 6:00 p.m. Sorry, no saving of seats! Seats go on a first come, first go basis. Individuals in wheelchairs or who are disabled will be admitted when they arrive. CHRISTMAS MUSIC PROGRAM This year our Christmas Music Program promises to be one of the best ever. Due to the number of children taking piano this year, our school will hold the piano recitals on a separate night. The piano recitals will take place at 6:30 p.m. on December 14. Please note this on your calendar. Thank you. NATIVITY RAFFLE Tickets will be for sale at the MBS Christmas Program TONIGHT for the beautiful, ceramic, hand-painted nativity scene so everyone will have the opportunity to win this work of art. The winner will also be chosen at the Program. Each ticket is $1.00. The entire sheet can be purchased for $10.00. This nativity scene would
make a beautiful gift also. Be sure to stop in the office and admire the craftsmanship of this piece. We are so appreciative of the continued generosity of the MBS community. DIOCESAN and MBS TUITION ASSISTANCE-VERY IMPORTANT! The Diocesan of Wilmington is now accepting Tuition Assistance applications for the 2016-2017 upcoming school year. Tuition assistance through the Diocese of Wilmington is provided to children attending grades K- 12. Pre-school, before and after care are not funded through this program. Please see more information in today s folders. To be considered, parents must submit an application online to FACTS Grant & Aid Assessment for evaluation at www.online.factsmgt.com/aid. FACTS representatives are available to guide parents through the application process and to answer any questions by calling 1-866-441-4637. Completed applications, including all supporting documentation such as tax forms, are due March 1 st. Applications that are submitted after that date will not be considered for assistance. PLEASE REMEMBER: Families who also wish to be considered for MBS assistance must complete and submit the FACTS application. ADVENT PENANCE SERVICES Each week, our Catholic School community gathers for Advent prayer and reflection. All are invited to join us. The next service will be an Advent Penance Service and will take place on Wednesday, December 14 th at 12:45 a.m. Please join us if your schedule allows. POWERSCHOOL The Parent Portal is currently closed for the end of the trimester marking period. Parents will be notified when the Portal is opened. BELOW IS THE ATTIRE REQUESTED FOR THE CONCERT Prek 3: wear all black (black shirt, pants, and black rubber sole shoes). We are going to make a star to put on their shirts. Prek4: Each child should come to school the night of the program dressed in an adult white short sleeved t- shirt. Please put shorts on under the t-shirts. Mrs. May and I are making angel wings to go with their outfits. We are asking each child to send in $2.00 to cover the cost of materials needed to make the wings. Kindergarten: Kindergarten students will wear any festive attire for the Christmas program. Please no skirts, dresses or slippery shoes. 1st grade: We are asking that the first grade wear black pants (please, NO skirts or leggings) and either green or white tops. They may be Christmas shirts/sweaters/tops, but no T-shirts, please. They should wear shoes that they can move freely in, so nothing slippery or with heels. 2nd grade: Solid black top and bottom (no skirts or dresses) Maddox, Dominic, Sophia, Lyla Roberts, Gemma, Lila Gunther, Betsy, Kaylie, Harris, Tripp, Maximo, Caiden Festive Christmas Outfit (no skirts or dresses) Grace, Nathaniel, Zoe, Rebecca, Carly, Hayden, McKenna, Madelyn, Jacob, Luke, Preston 3rd grade: Sunday best with a gold, silver, or white shirt. No skirts/dresses or slippery shoes. 4th grade: Christmas Attire (no slippery shoes, no dresses or skirts unless with leggings) 5th grade: Sunday best (no slippery shoes, no dresses or skirts unless with leggings) Dance: Attire requests have been sent home. Please arrive no later than 5:30. Any questions regarding attire should contact Mrs. Bennett. Music appreciation and drama: Sunday best with festive attire. Boys should wear a dress shirt and tie. No jeans or t-shirts, no dresses/skirts. Middle school choir will be wearing black bottoms and white tops. SINCE WE ARE OFFERING A PROFESSIONAL RECORDING OF THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM WE ARE ASKING THAT PARENTS DO NOT SET UP VIDEO RECORDING EQUIPMENT IN THE CAFETERIA. Video order forms are included in the Thursday folders. Parents may record from their seats. Thank you for your cooperation. There can be no cell phones, ipods, ipads, etc. used during the Christmas Program. They interfere with the sound equipment.
YANKEE CANDLE Yankee Candle/Cherrydale Brochure orders are here!!!!! Items will be available for pick up TONIGHT during Christmas program at the concession table. If you will not be attending the performance, please call Lisa Delisi 443-497-4322 to make pick up arrangements. REMEMBER: Online sales for BOTH Yankee and Cherrydale continue through 12/31!!!! It's not too late to buy office/client gifts, or send gifts delivered right to the door of faraway family and friends. There is something for everyone...and M.B.S. will receive a great profit!!!! Thanks again for supporting this event!!!! LYNCH CREEK FARMS WREATH FUNDRAISER The perfect gift this Christmas season for that hard to shop for person! Beautiful Wreaths and Garland shipped direct from the farm! They will last into the new year. Give a gift that everyone can enjoy! MBS will receive 20% of the sales!!! We will have some items from Lynchcreek Farm at the Christmas program for you to check out! Visit the link www.lynchcreekfundraising.com/campaigns/47027 Free Shipping!!! Last day to order 12.11.16 FIP HOUR OPPORTUNITY: Casino Meeting Wednesday, December 14th 3:15pm. Earn your FIP hours while volunteering on the Casino Committee. Volunteer from home, in your community or in school. Whatever works for you! A Casino rep. will be at school to answer questions and find the right fit for your time. Children welcome! CASINO NIGHT ADVANCED SALES: MBS Casino Night is set for February 25th from 6pm-midnight. Advance ticket price is $40 when purchased by 12/31 and $50 as of January 1, 2017. Now available at mostblessedsacramentschool.com. HEATING OR COOKING OF FOOD FOR LUNCHES We are not able to heat food for children (grades K-3) at lunch time. There are 3 adult staff members on duty at lunch time and their primary responsibilities are to supervise children. We are not able to heat or cook sandwiches, chicken nuggets or instant soup. We appreciate your understanding. MADAGASCAR TRYOUTS Tryouts will be held on Tuesday, December 13 th, Wednesday, December 14 th and Thursday, December 15 th. Tryouts will begin right after school and end at 5:00 p.m. MBS ATHLETIC DEPT. NEWS Basketball: On Thursday, Dec. 8 th there will be NO JV & V Boys basketball practice due to the Christmas Program. ***IMPORTANT*** Parents must come to the front door to pick their child up from practice. A coach needs to physically see you to make sure your child is safely picked up. Fitness Equipment: We are looking for gently used fitness equipment such as dumbbells, kettlebells, BOSU balls, medicine balls, theraband etc. for our teams/faculty to have access to. Since the beginning of the year, there has been a strong push to improve physical fitness from both the students and staff. Before I go out and purchase more equipment, I wanted to ask our MBS families first. If any of your fitness centers are getting rid of equipment ask them to donate please. For more info. or to set up a time to drop off equipment, please contact me via email. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!: Any pictures you may have or will take during our various seasons please email them to djarmon@mbscs.org or ledmunds@mbscs.org. Thanks! COUNSELING CORNER For the next three weeks I will visit each class and we will do a lesson on gratitude. We will focus on Christmas and expressing our thanks and appreciation to family, friends and teachers. I wish everyone Patience over the next few weeks. I know preparing for the holidays can be stressful on parents, our children
can pick up on the stress or we can often take out our stress on our children. I encourage you all to try to focus on time together and not the things. Set your devices aside and enjoy each other. Make this time, as we prepare for Christmas, a time to focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Enjoy each other as we prepare. Breathe! LIBRARY NEWS Thank you for helping your children to return their library books on time. Please check your home and return any overdue books as needed. Thanks again for your continued support of our MBS Library Program. Please keep us in mind when you clean your child s book shelves. We love to receive book donations and our students will put the books to good use. Thank you for the numerous donations we have received this year! A LETTER FROM THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY I wanted to personally acknowledge the wonderfully generous food collection that Mrs. Curry coordinated among the lower grade classes. It has proved to be most useful in responding to those who come to us in need of food. I am truly overwhelmed with the generosity of MBS families knowing all the other financial demands placed on them. I want to know we are truly grateful for MBS and the values it is representing in our community. Dave Melocik President, St. Vincent de Paul Society NON-MBS FLYERS All non-mbs flyers will be listed here as links on the digital version of the newsletter. IMPORTANT DATES December 14 th Piano Recital, 6:30 p.m. 22 nd Christmas Holiday begins 12:10 dismissal 23 rd Jan. 2 Christmas Holiday, school closed January 3 rd School Re-Opens PARISH NEWS ST. JOHN NEUMANN Every Tuesday during Advent, from 3:00 PM until 5:00 PM, you are invited to come to Taizé Tuesday, a candle-lit time of meditative prayer. The church will be open, Taizé chant will be playing over the sound system, and you are invited to bring and light a candle which will be placed on the altar steps during the period of prayer. You can arrive any time between 3 PM and 5 PM, and you can leave at any time. Candles must be in containers (jars, votive holders, etc.). If you mark your candle, you can leave it at church where it will be stored until the following Tuesday. Confirmation 2017: Our next gathering will be 8 January same time and place! Parents please let me know if your child would like to participate in the March for Life on 27 January and/or in the Catholic HEART Workcamp at Holy Cross in Dover June 18-24. We discussed both events at the 4 December Confirmation session. Call or email me for more details if they are interested. I need to know about both/either ASAP: 410-208-2854 or ngroves@stjnrcc.com ST. JUDE THE APOSTLE The Parish Book Club of St. Jude The Apostle Church announces its 2017 Book Selection and invites you to its first discussion of 2017 on Wednesday, January 11 in the Religious Education Center at 2 p.m. We are reading The Holy Longing: The Search for A Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser. Considered essential reading for anyone seeking to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to apply it to their own lives, Rolheiser leads readers from restlessness to peace, showing a contemporary path to authentic and healthy spiritual life. Copies of this book are available on Amazon.com. St. Jude The Apostle Church is located on Highway One, just north of the Five Points intersection on Tulip Drive. For further information, contact the Religious Education Office, 644-7413.
Thursday, December 8 is a Holy Day of Obligation. Masses will be at 8am, 12:05 and 7 PM in the Church. Darkness into Light Presentation will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7pm. The Children of the parish will present the story of Christmas in acting and in song. Please plan on attending. Sunday, Dec. 18, Knights of Columbus Christmas breakfast after the 8:30 and 10 AM Masses. Cost is $6 per person or $15 per family. There will be an opportunity for pictures with Santa. Additional Confession Times Wednesday, December 7-10 am to Noon in the Chapel Friday, December 9-1pm to 3 pm in the Chapel Saturday, December 10-2pm to 4pm in the Church Sunday, December 11-2pm Youth Penance Service Saturday, December 17-2pm to 4 pm in the Church Wednesday, December 21-6pm to 8 pm in the Chapel