December 15, 2017 Jesus, you will come among us once again to give us your very life. May your life s gift inspire us to make our lives a gift to you, over and over again. Amen. Our Mission Statement It is the mission of St. James Catholic School to educate students in a Christ-centered environment with an emphasis on Catholic teachings and traditions while providing academic excellence for all. Blue & Gold winners: December 11, 2017: Angie Thriffiley $100.00 CONGRATULATIONS! December 17th 9:00 a.m. Mass 6th Grade featured December 19th Volunteer Service Hours Due End of Quarter 2 Noon Dismissal NO AFTERCARE January 4th Return to School January 7th 9:00 a.m. Mass 5th Grade featured January 12th Parent/Teacher Conferences Regional Reading Fair January 18th Science Fair January 19th Quarter 2 and Science Fair Awards Ceremony for and the BROADUS family St. James Catholic School 603 West Avenue Gulfport, MS 39507 (228) 896-6631 Fax: (228) 896-6638 Principal: Jennifer Broadus jbroadus@stjamesgulfport.com Website: www.stjamesgulfport.com
2017 2018 Children s Mass Featured Choir and Reading Schedule Any students from other grades that attend this Mass are welcome to join the featured choir. Note: 3rd 6th grade students will sing in the choir and do both readings and responsorial psalm on their featured weeks. 2nd grade students will sing in the choir, and CCD students are Responsible for doing the readings and responsorial psalm. Sundays - 9:00 A.M. Mass December 17th Quarter 2 Featured Choir and Readers 6th Grade Quarter 3 January 7th January 14th January 21st January 28th 5th Grade 4th Grade 2nd Grade/CCD 3rd Grade - Catholic Schools Week
Second Grade Service Project for the Month of December The second grade students are collecting canned goods, boxed dinners, cereals, and any other food items to donate to St. Vincent de Paul during the month of December. St. Vincent de Paul is an organization in St. James Church that serves the needy of our parish and the surrounding areas with food and other necessities. Children may place their items on the stage in the cafeteria. We hope to collect enough food to help those in need at Christmas. Thank you! Keep those pictures coming! You can upload pictures using the ReplayIt app, or you may email them directly to Tricia Harvey at: tharvey@stjamesgulfport.com You may also order your child s yearbook online at: www.jostensyearbooks.com When purchasing a yearbook please make checks payable to: St. James Thank You! St. James Catholic School Sunshine Committee The Sunshine Committee at St. James wants to help brighten the days of the members of the school community. If you know of a student who is sick or hurt, or of a family who is going through a hard time, please pass this information along to Julie Bentz at 228-229-3292. The Sunshine Committee will reach out to them to bring a smile to their faces and make their day better.
8 inches long $10 3 1/2 inches wide CAR MAGNET (Orange & White) Help show our love, support, and prayers for Sumner Holland during his fight with Leukemia. All proceeds from the sale of the CAR MAGNET go to Sumner and his family. (Sumner is a PreK-3 student at St. James) Student s Name: Teacher s Name: Please pay with cash OR Checks made payable to: 1) Cash or 2) Stacey Cox $10
If you are interested in having lunch with your child in the cafeteria, please inform Mrs. Whiteside in the office or Ms. Goacher in the cafeteria the day before you d like to visit. Lunch Money - Please specify on your lunch check the amount of money for each child. We will offer ice cream on Fridays. Students must have cash in order to purchase ice cream. All of the ice cream products that we sell are approved by the state office of Child Nutrition and fall within the guidelines of our Wellness Policy. PK-3, PK-4, Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students can bring money in a zip lock bag with their name on it. If you would like to pay in advance, teachers will keep up with the money in the zip lock bag. They will send the bag home when it is empty. 2nd - 6th Grade Students will purchase their own ice cream and will be responsible for keeping up with their money. $1.00 items Ice cream sandwich, low fat, Chocolate wafer Fudge Bar Crumbled Cookie Cone Creamy Cotton Candy Sour Swell - Cherry $0.50 items Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry low fat ice cream-3 oz. cup with spoon Low fat mini ice cream cone Sour Cyclone Strawberry Freeze Blue-Freeze 18 Hot Dog Baked Beans Crinkle Cut Fries Chilled Peach Slices Milk 19 EARLY DISMISSAL NO LUNCH SERVED TODAY CHRISTMAS BREAK JANUARY 4 Chicken Nuggets Whole Wheat Roll Mashed Potatoes with Brown Gravy Green Beans Fresh Oranges Milk JANUARY 5 Cheese Pizza Crinkle Cut Fries Vegetable Juice Apples in a Bag Milk 1/ 5/2018 ICE CREAM VOLUNTEERS: Monica Dardeau Lou Smith
News from the LIBRARY Brushes to Books Project Takes Off Our little library here at St. James has been undergoing some significant improvements this year. All private school libraries in the State of Mississippi have recently received new accreditation standards from the Mississippi Department of Education, which we have already begun to implement. In anticipation of our assessment visit, we have enlisted the assistance of some really wonderful artists and have partnered with the Armed Services Retirement Home. In a fundraising endeavor titled the Brushes to Books Project, we have begun to raise money for the purchase of much needed new books, signage, and user friendly shelving materials. Several artists from AFRH have created beautiful works of art which have been donated to our library. The money generated by the sale of these art pieces will assist with our major renovations. We wish to acknowledge our generous contributors: Geraldine Gorsky, retired Navy, is now an exceptional artist whose paintings of flora and fauna of the Coast have become quite popular. Geraldine is a self-taught artist with a great eye for minute detail and the subtlety of nature. One of her architectural interests is the Lighthouse on Highway 90 in Biloxi. Her many depictions of the lighthouse and its Fresnel lens have allowed her to explore the play of light within her work. Raymond Eckert, also an avid painter, can only be described as a master of whimsy as an artist. His braying donkeys, dancing chickens and laughing lambs populate his paintings with great humor and appeal. He even paints his comical barnyard characters on oyster shells ready to add to your holiday embellishments. Both Geraldine and Raymond have received artistic praise from Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and First Lady Deborah Bryant during a trip to the Armed Forces Retirement Home while visiting South Mississippi. Theodore Wesolowski, USAF retired, depicts the richness of nature on the Coast with a dramatic palette. Bold color dances alongside the subdued, inhabiting the bayous and cloaking the wetlands of his artistic imagination. This pairing of unusual color creates a mournful, dreamlike effect, as if the subject comes to us from a place of distant memory. Clifford Smith, formerly a submarine engineer with the Navy, pulls double duty as both artist and library volunteer here at St. James. He is a prolific artist who is unafraid to incorporate found objects into his paintings and his superb papier maché creations. He has recently completed a depiction of the Aurora Borealis which will grace the night sky of our Titanic model. Mr. Smith has also created a collection of popular plywood fish that can only be called sea worthy. Mr. Smith has become the work horse of the library. Please visit our library to see these unique works of art, which are available for purchase.
Brushes to Books Project Raymond Eckert Geraldine Gorsky Clifford Smith
St. James Catholic School Parent Volunteer Service Hours December 19th - 1st Deadline for Parent Volunteer Service Hours 2017-2018 Parent Volunteer Service Hours Report Form Thank you for volunteering your time in support of the programs and activities of Saint James Catholic School. Community ties at school are strengthened by parents working together to make St. James School the best that it can be for our students and families. Your volunteer hours also defray some school operating costs helping keep the cost of tuition down. Parent s Name: Children s Names: Grades: Family Email: Phone: Record of Volunteer Service Hours Performed Date of Service Project/Event Person in Charge (Print Name) Your Role/ Responsibility Number of Hours Worked Total Hours Worked: Each school family is required to provide at least two parent service hours to the school by December 19 th and another two service hours by May 21st, for a total of four parent service hours. It is the parents responsibility to report their service hours on this form and to submit this form to the school office regularly so it can be recorded and filed. In the spirit of support often parents contribute far more than two service hours. We encourage parents to turn in all their service hours when they have volunteered over the four hour minimum. It is recommended that you keep copies of your submitted service hour form for your own records. A status report on your total service hours reported will be issued by the school in January and April each school year. All service hours must be reported by May 21 st. Each family will be assessed a $25.00 per hour fee for each non-completed service hour, not to exceed $100.00. Hours to be earned after May 21 st need to be submitted for approval no later than May 1 st. Submit completed form to St. James School Office Report volunteer service hours regularly Keep a copy for your records
The third Sunday of Advent is December 17th It is known as Gaudete Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday. Gaudete Sunday reminds us that Advent is coming to an end. Soon we will be rejoicing in the celebration of Christmas. We will relight the first purple candle, the Candle of Hope. Then light the second purple candle, the Candle of Peace. Now, we will light the pink candle, the Candle of Joy. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Preparation of Peace The fourth Sunday of Advent is December 24th. The last purple candle represents Revelation and Peace. We will relight the Candle of Hope and the Candle of Preparation, as well as the Candle of Joy. Now, we light the Candle of Revelation and Peace. Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manager. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:10-14
REJOICE!...a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 Merry Christmas From the St. James School Faculty and Staff