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 December 16, 2016 2016-17 School Year Theme Superheroes for Jesus Hebrews 12:1-3 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Dec. 19 Classes Christmas Caroling 8:30-11:30 AM Family Christmas Lunch 11:30 AM Dec. 20 End of 2 nd Quarter (42 days/10 Sundays) All-School Christmas Assembly 8:30 AM Favorite Carol Chapel Service 11:00 AM Early Dismissal 12:30 PM Dec. 21-Jan. 3 Christmas Vacation Jan. 4 Classes Resume 8:00 AM Jan. 6 Morning Coffee Club 7:45-8:30 AM Distribution of 2 nd Quarter Report Cards Jan. 16 M.L.King Day No School Jan. 22 Classes sing for NLSW 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM Jan. 27 PTLS Spaghetti Dinner and Student Variety Show Prayer Walk Families for the week of Dec. 16-Jan.3 All St. Paul Students and Families this Christmastide From the Principal s Desk... With Christmas a little over a week away, our thoughts likely may turn to the giving and getting of Christmas presents. What s the best Christmas gift you ever received? A shiny bike? A new car? How bout a big-screen TV or new smart phone or tablet? Maybe some Sponge Bob Square Pants pajamas with feet in them (sorry, just kidding)? Regardless of what your most memorable gift might be, none compare to the gift that God our Heavenly Father has for us at Christmas. Here s a story to make my point A large church in the city had a mystery to solve. The life-sized figure of the baby Jesus was discovered missing from the manger scene in front of the church, and no one seemed to know where it had gone. The police came, took all the necessary reports, but couldn t figure out what happened either. Then, the day before Christmas, a little boy from the parish came to the church door. He was pulling a little red wagon with the missing figurine lying inside wrapped in a blanket. He gently picked up the baby Jesus and gave it back to his pastor. Why did you take the figurine? the irritated but relieved pastor asked. Well, I thought you said God sent the baby Jesus for me! the little boy replied. Yes, God does send each of us a gift at Christmas. But it s not a baby Jesus made out of plaster or wood. God sends us a very special gift that Jesus himself promised us, namely His Holy Spirit. He tells us in John 14:16-17, I will ask the Father to give you a Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. God s spirit comes into our hearts and to our homes not just for a Christmas Day visit, but to live and to stay. Lots of people are looking forward to great Christmas gifts this year. They may even look to us for the giving of those gifts. But, whatever we give them, the best gift we can offer is the one that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit who will come and work faith in their hearts to believe that God s greatest gift is the Child who brings forgiveness, peace, and new life! May this be your very special and best Christmas present this year, too! In Christ s Service, James L. House, Principal
CHRISTMAS CAROLING...Today, the students in grades PK, 1 st, 2 nd & 6 th enjoyed Christmas caroling to various folks around the Harlingen community. On Monday, Dec. 19 th, the remaining students in grades K. 3 rd. 4 th. 5 th & 7 th will go caroling, too, several of our shut-in friends and residents of local retirement villages. For more information, check out the flyer attached to the newsletter email. Thanks and happy caroling! CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON... Parents, hopefully you turned in your reservation earlier this week to join us for the special Christmas Luncheon on Monday, Dec. 19 th at 11:30 AM in the cafetorium. Our menu will consist of ham and turkey with all the Christmas trimmings! If you forgot your reservation but would still like to join us for lunch, please contact the school office without fail on Monday morning. CHAPEL OFFERING PROJECT...Next Tuesday, Dec. 20 th is the final opportunity to bring an offering in support of the Samaritan Purse Operation Christmas Child project. To date, our total to $267.27. Please remember your chapel offerings next Tuesday in support of Operation Christmas Child as we hope to reach our $400 goal. And watch for information coming home in January about our new 3 rd quarter offering project LHM Project: Madagascar and our online mission trip. And, remember your offerings every Wednesday in 2017. CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY...Mark your calendars and plan to join us for our special All-School Christmas Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th at 8:30 AM in the gym. Parents, we invite you to come join us as we enjoy the fun of singing traditional Christmas carols and watch various groups share holiday performances to kick off our special day before Christmas vacation. CHRISTMAS DRESS DAY...Do you have a special Christmas t-shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, scarf, or other Christmas attire that you re just dying to wear? Or maybe you would just like to get into the holiday spirit by wearing red & green Christmas colors. If so, wear them to school on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th for Christmas Dress Day. Help us add to the merriment of our special half-day of Christmas activities! Plan now to participate in our Merry Christmas Dress Day fun! FAVORITE CAROL CHAPEL Join us for our Favorite Carol Chapel Service on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th at 11:00 PM. Come usher in Christmas with us through the words of our favorite Christmas carols as chosen by the students. Parents and younger siblings are invited to attend this special chapel service, too. EARLY DISMISSAL...Classes will be dismissed for Christmas vacation immediately following lunch at 12:30 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 20 st. Parents, please make arrangements to pick up your children no later 1:00 PM as there will be no After-School Extended Care at St. Paul Academy that afternoon. HOLIDAY CHILD CARE...If you desire child care at St. Paul Great Beginnings during Christmas Vacation, contact Mrs. Dash at 956-425-6330 no later than next Monday, Dec. 19 th. Parents, plan ahead for your child care needs during the holiday season. CHRISTMAS VACATION...St. Paul Academy will be closed Dec. 21 st thru Jan. 3 rd for Christmas Vacation. The school office will also be closed for business during Christmas vacation. In an emergency, you can contact Mr. House at 972-948-3980. Classes will resume on Wednesday, Jan. 4 th at 8:00 AM. We hope everyone enjoys your yuletide break! 2 ND QUARTER ENDS...on Tuesday, Dec. 20 th. Please make sure all assignments are turned in and financial commitments are met by that date. The 2 nd quarter report cards will be prepared for distribution following Christmas Vacation on Friday, Jan. 6 th. ATTENDANCE FORMS DUE... This Sunday, Dec. 18 th is the final attendance Sunday for the 2 nd quarter of the 2016-2017 school year. We ask all students to return their 2 nd Quarter Church Attendance Sheet on Monday, Dec. 19 th so that Perfect Attendance certificates can be prepared over Christmas Vacation. Also, new forms for recording your child s 3 rd quarter church and Sunday School attendance are coming home with today s newsletter. Post it prominently and record your attendance each week in January.
CHRISTMAS SERVICES...All members of the St. Paul Academy school family are invited to attend the special Christmas services at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The Almost Christmas Service will be held at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, Dec. 21 st. On Christmas Eve Saturday, Dec. 24 th, join us for a child-friendly worship at 3:00 PM, and the Candlelight Christmas Eve Services at 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM. Then, we will celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day Sunday, Dec. 25 th at 10:00 AM worship service with communion. Make these services part of your family s Christmas celebration. PSIA FORMS DUE...Attention, all PSIA students just a quick reminder that your PSIA Parent Commitment Letter (signed by a parent) was due TODAY! If you failed to return your letter today, please do so on Monday, Dec. 19 th without fail! Also, if you have not paid your participation fee, please make that payment by Monday, too! Thanks for your cooperation. Saints Hot Lunch Menu Week of Dec. 19-20 Monday Christmas Family Dinner Sliced Turkey & Ham, Mashed Potatoes w/gravy, Green Beans, Dinner Roll Tuesday Domino s Pizza, Cucumbers, Ranch Dressings, Cookie Watch for the January 2017 menu on the school webpage sometime after Jan. 1 st 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) ICE GALA AUCTION NEWS...Planning for the 2017 St. Paul ICE Gala Dinner & Auction scheduled for Saturday, February 25 th is moving right along! Watch for information concerning ticket sales, group/corporate tables, etc beginning after Christmas and throughout early January. Now s the time to also start thinking about helping obtain items for the live and silent auction. Remember the success of our auction will be a direct result of our families securing items to be auctioned off that night. Help us secure auction items today! Contact a donor today, and then complete an Item Acquisition Sheet (available at the school office). Email or call us we ll send copies home with your child. And, thanks for your support HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH SCRIP...Hopefully you re finished with your Christmas shopping and remembered to make Scrip Cards purchased from St. Paul Academy part of your Christmas gift giving! A St. Paul Academy more, because a %age of your purchase stays right here at St. Paul as profit for our PTLS. And, Scrip is available for over 200 local shops, restaurants, great way to start the New Year in January is to become a Scrip shopper in 2017. Remember, Great Lakes Scrip cards are just like cash but so much School Code is: 1ALL427B37414 gas stations, grocery stores, and other retail establishments. Watch for the new January Family Order Form coming home on January 6 th, and plan to use some of your Christmas gift cash to purchase Scrip cards from St. Paul Academy in the new year! All orders returned to the office by 8:30 AM Tuesday morning will be delivered by Fridays in 2017! And remember you can still purchase Scrip Now! online during the holiday break by visiting ShopWithScrip.com. Use the school code and pay for it using PayPal. Either way, St. Paul profits from your support! ANNUAL FUND GIFTS...In late November, every St. Paul Academy family received a letter asking for your kind support and generous donations to this year s St. Paul Academy Annual Fund. Thank you so much to those families who have already generously donated over $4600 to the fund. This is a great opportunity for you to direct some of your year-end giving to the ministry of St. Paul Academy and your child s continuing education, and receive a nice tax-deduction, too! Please consider a tax-deductible gift to St. Paul Academy this holiday season! Any questions, contact Mr. House. PARENT COFFEE CLUB...Plan to join us for the first monthly Parent Fellowship Event of 2017 on Friday, Jan. 6 th. The Morning Coffee Club will meet at 7:45-8:30 AM in the cafertorium. Plan to join us for some coffee and early morning fellowship with other parents and Mr. House.
ANGEL TREE SUCCESS...Thank you to all our St. Paul families who bought presents for the children on our Angel Tree. Your gift will help brighten the eyes of a child this Christmas and share the love of Jesus with them. Thanks again for your support of this special project. EVENT NEWS...Watch for information coming home in early January about some big events planned for 2017. In late January, we will be hosting an all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner coupled with a Student Variety Show on Friday, Jan. 27. Plan now to attend and participate! STOCK THE CART...Thanks for your donations of PEANUT BUTTER for our Stock the Cart collection during December. We ll continue collecting peanut butter in January, too! Remember, our Stock the Cart and Backpacks of Love programs provide weekend meals to local children who are less fortunate than ourselves and share the love of Jesus with them! Remember to bring your donation of peanut butter next month for our Stock the Cart collection. Thanks for participating! BOX TOPS NEWS...Thanks to all our St. Paul families who are saving Box Tops for Education for St. Paul Academy. Extra December collection sheets are available at the school office. Remember to turn in your December collection sheets following Christmas Vacation. The new January collection sheet will come home on January 6 th. Remember, each box top is worth 10 for our Saints kids. Keep saving those box tops for SPA, and encourage your relatives and friends to save for SPA in 2017, too! RECYCLING NEWS...Hey, Saints! If you receive any new electronic items as gifts this Christmas, don t throw your old cell phone, tablet, camera, etc Bring it to school in January and turn it in for recycling. And remember to keep saving those used ink jet cartridges, old cell phones, old computers, cameras, and other electronics for St. Paul Academy. Each recyclable earns between 50 and $3.00 for SPA. Check your place of business and see if they ll let you donate used cartridges for our school. Ask friends and neighbors, too. What a great way to help our environment and earn cash for St. Paul, too! A collection box is located at the school office. Save your recyclables today for St. Paul Academy and the Waste Management Cartridge for Kids collection program. BASKETBALL NEWS...The Saints Boys basketball team suffered a tough loss on Monday to Kenmont, but rebounded to a win on Thursday vs. Calvary. Following Christmas Vacation, the team see action as follows: Tues. (1/10) vs. Kenmont @ 5:00 PM Thurs. (1/12) vs. St. Anthony @ 4:30 PM Plan to come cheer for our Saints teams throughout the season! CALL ACCEPTED...After much prayerful thought and conversation with individuals at both congregations and schools, I am convinced that it is the Lord s will that I accept the call to service as Principal/Athletic Director at St. Paul Lutheran Church and School in Serbin, Texas beginning in June 2017. During the four years that I have been privileged to serve as your Principal, I believe that both St. Paul and I have been blessed in many ways. I pray that my ministry has helped further spread the Gospel message at St. Paul and in the Rio Grande Valley. As I conclude my ministry among you, my desire is to assist the church and school leaders in a smooth and orderly transition so that ministry will continue successfully at St. Paul Lutheran-Harlingen. May God continue to bless our efforts together for this purpose. The Faculty and Staff of St. Paul Academy wishes each St. Paul student and family a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and a Christ-filled New Year.