. November 25, 2014 Happy Thanksgiving! There is NO SCHOOL and NO EXTENSION on November 26-28, for the Thanksgiving holiday. School will resume at 8:15am on Monday, December 1. Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Mark your calendars for Monday, December 8, 8:15am. Our students will attend Mass with the parish community on this date/time. Please try to have your child(ren) here at school by 8:00am on this date so that the class can walk over together to the church. You are most welcome to join us if your schedule allows. Wreaths and Poinsettias: Our school's Christmas fundraiser with wreaths and poinsettias continues. Fresh, 24" Washington wreaths with juniper berries and pinecones will sell for $20 each. Red poinsettia plants in 6.5" pots will sell for $10 each. Only 252 poinsettia plants are available. The profits will be used to fund improvements to the school's fence line along Maryal Drive. All orders and money are due in the school office on Wednesday, December 3, by 4:00pm. Cash or checks accepted. Checks must be made out to "MDS School" with a note in memo line stating "Wreaths", "Poinsettias" or "Wreaths/Poinsettias." One check may be written for both items. Wreaths and poinsettias will be available for pick up in the SAC: Saturday, December 6, 1pm-3pm; Monday, December 8, 11:45am-12:15pm; 2:30pm-5:30pm. Volunteers are needed to help pick up poinsettias from Rocket Farms here in Salinas. If you can assist, please contact Mrs. Panganiban ASAP at [email protected] if you are interested. Volunteers must have fingerprint clearances and Shield the Vulnerable certificates on file in the school office. As an added incentive this year, for every 3 wreaths sold, one service hour can be earned. For every 6 poinsettia plants sold, one service hour can be earned. Gold Service Hour slips must be submitted with order forms in order to receive credit. NO EXCEPTIONS. Food Drive for Food Bank: Our collection of boxed/canned, non-perishable food will end today, Tuesday, November 25. Please do not send in any glass jars or perishable items. Thank you for your generosity! Breakfast with Santa: Join the fun on Sunday, December 7, 8:30am-11:00am in Cross Hall! The Knights of Columbus Council 5140, along with the Young Ladies Institute (YLI) Ignatius 85, are hosting “Breakfast with Santa!” Eggs, pancakes, sausage, coffee, juice will be served by the Knights; adults = $5, kids 12 and under = $2. The YLI will have Mrs. Santa’s Kitchen, featuring homemade holiday cakes, candies and cookies for sale. Santa will also be there to take pictures with the kids. New this year, MDS students will be leading crafts for all the kids who attend. Sack Lunches for St. Vincent de Paul: Thank you to the students in Third and Fourth grade for bringing lunches last week! Many needy families and their children were grateful for your generosity. Each student in Fifth and Sixth grade is asked to bring a sack lunch for this service project on December 4. In the sack lunch, please provide a piece of fresh fruit, a bottle of water or juice, a bag of chips and a sandwich. Sandwiches can be one of the following: cheese and meat OR just meat (no condiments, lettuce, tomatoes, etc., in the sandwich), peanut butter and jelly, or just peanut butter. You may choose to provide something sweet such as cookies. Please send the food items in a paper lunch sack on Thursday morning, November 20. A letter will go home on Monday, December 1, with more details about this community service event. Thank you in advance for your generosity. Box Tops for Education (BTFE) Update: Sign up on www.boxtops4education.com for coupons and BT's sweepstakes for our school! There’s currently a contest for our school to win 10,000 Box Tops, and you can enter daily! You can also download and print out collection sheets from the same website. Clip the Box Tops and send them in with your kids! You can attach to collection sheets or place in a baggie, just be sure the collection sheet or baggie is labeled with your child's name and grade! PLEASE check for expiration dates - they can't be counted if they've already expired. Don't attach "Bonus Box Tops" to the collection sheets, only Box Tops. "Bonus Box Tops" can be turned in with a baggie. Thank you, Leslie Lombardi [email protected]. eScrip Update: Do you shop at Save Mart or Food Maxx? If the answer is YES, you need a S.H.A.R.E.S. Card! With the swipe of every card at any participating supermarket (Save Mart, Lucky Supermarkets, FoodMaxx and S-Mart Foods) up to 3% of your qualified purchases will automatically be donated to Madonna del Sasso School! Please pick up your S.H.A.R.E.S. Card in the office between 8:00am to 3:00pm, ask for Jennie Reyes. If you'd like your card sent home with your child, please email [email protected]. These cards are generic - they do not have any personal information on them. Thank you for your continued support! FROM OUR FINANCE OFFICER, ELAINE TURNER: Friendly Reminder – Separate Checks Needed Please make out separate checks for each kind of payment that you send into school: Tuition payments for K-8th grades (payable to MDS School), Extension payments for K-8th grades (payable to MDS Extension), Preschool Extended Care (PEC) payments (payable to MDS PEC) and Preschool Tuition payments (payable to MDS Preschool). Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) Payment Option If you do not want to have to remember to write your monthly Tuition check perhaps EFT is an option that would appeal to you. Once a simple authorization form is completed, with a voided check attached, your payments will come out of the account that you have specified and come to MDS School automatically on either the 1st or the 8th of each month. The authorization forms are in the School office. If you would like more information please call Elaine Turner at 424-7813, Ext 12. Dates to Remember: November 17-25 — Food Drive for Food Bank November 26-28 — Thanksgiving holidays, NO SCHOOL AND NO EXTENSION November 30 — First Sunday of Advent December 1 — School resumes at 8:15am; HSA Board meeting at 5:30pm in Faculty Room December 2 — Coast-Tel Credit Union at lunch time December 5 — Progress Reports December 7 — Wreath and poinsettia sales at church after all Masses; Breakfast with Santa, 8:30am-11:00am, Cross Hall (see info above) December 8 — Mass w/parish community at 8:15am for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception December 9 — MDS Advisory Board meeting, 7:00pm in Faculty Room December 12 — School Mass in church, 10:45am December 17 — MDS School’s Christmas program: “The Christmas County Spelling Bee”, Sherwood Hall; dress rehearsal at 11:00am, evening show 6:30pm December 18-January 4 — Christmas holidays, NO SCHOOL AND NO EXTENSION January 5, 2015 — School resumes at 8:15am